Books Without Borders

Domestic workers, slum dwellers, students, and labourers come to Delhi's free libraries, sharing ideas and their love for reading

- By FARHEEN SAIFI

On a warm afternoon at Delhi University's North Campus, a group of students gather under a sprawling tree, their heads buried in books. There's no librarian, no staff, and no signboard reminding them of silence. Instead, there's a banner pinned to the fence: Book in Hand Campaign-Free Library for All.

Started in August 2023 by two young Delhi residents, Pratik and Anurag Kumar, the Book in Hand Campaign (BHC India) is a quiet revolution spreading the joy of reading among people who can't afford books or stopped reading because access was difficult.

Over the years, the initiative-run under the CELL Foundation-has built six open-air libraries across Delhi-NCR: in parks, university campuses, and even in slum areas. These libraries run on pure trust-there are no membership fees, no deposits, and no penalties. Anyone can pick up a book, read it on the spot, or take it home for up to two weeks.

"When you have books lying on your shelf, already read, you start wondering-what if someone else who wants to read could have them?" says Pratik, 25, one of the co-founders. "This thought became our starting point."