Lions Club of Gauhati Greater Launches Free Library for Children in Guwahati

GUWAHATI: In order to help children cope up with mental stress and to help them develop the positive habit of reading, Lions club of Gauhati Greater is starting a free library for children upto 18 years of age at Dr. Anita Baruah Sarma College of Education (Bye Lane No. 01, L.K.R.B. Path, Nabin Nagar, Opp. AIDC, Zoo Road, Guwahati – 781024).

The library services will be effective from 14th of December, 2021. Any child can become a member of the free library and can avail reading facility of books at library premises and can borrow books for home reading on returnable basis.

The children library is a permanent project of club in association with "The Blue Ladder" branded as "THE BLUE LADDER CHILDREN LIBRARY". Book of all types which interests children like Picture books, Story books, Encyclopedia, General Knowledge, Motivational, Fiction Novels, Comics Magazines etc. will be available to children for reading. The library will have books in English, Hindi and Assamese languages.

The library will be open from 3:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. on all days except Sunday, Monday and Holidays. The library will have 600 books initially and will be increased every month. Prominent children magazine like Intelly Jelly, Readers Digest, Amar Chitra Katha etc. will also be available to children, along with various encyclopedia of Geography, History, Science etc. The library will conduct different activities like Storytelling, Public speaking, Book Reviews etc. from time to time for increasing vocabulary, communication and personality skills of children.

Children of Guwahati can get enrolled by visit to library office and take benefit of reading and learning new books and stories. As Dr. Seuss had once said, "The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Indeed, reading is said to improve our concentration levels, teach us about the world around us, exercise our brain, enhance our imagery skills and help us become learned individuals. Let us encourage our children to develop this vital and positive habit of becoming avid readers.

Notably, with the ongoing pandemic and the unexpected stressful events over the past almost two years have tested families across the world.

The pandemic has upset lives in many ways with differential impact on various age groups. Children have particularly suffered from the psychological, social and economic long-term impacts of the pandemic. In India, the government restrictions during the first lockdown involved closure of major facilities, including schools and universities and public spaces which continued till recently.

The same has particularly affected the physical and mental health of children. Suddenly, parents had to manage their children at home all day with no external help like educators, baby sitters or others. At the same time, most of the parents had to cope with the job or business related stress like salary reduction, loss of job, reduction/ closure of business and get accustomed to so called "Work from home".

Many parents also had to manage difficulties and pain related to sick or dying relatives. All of these aspects have inflated the stress levels of parents resulting in a negative impact on children wellbeing.

During lockdown and closure of Schools/ Colleges, we have witnessed a sharp increase in the use of electronic devices, screen time usage and sedentary activities among children and adolescents, making this already contentious arena more difficult for parents to manage. As we gradually resume to normal life, children are trying to make up to the lost time although it is difficult and mentally taxing.