This children’s library in Hyderabad almost closed down during the pandemic. What revived it?
How The Book Shelf founder Haripriya Bathula fought to keep her library alive through the pandemic.
Haripriya Bathula with readers at her library.
As a child, Haripriya Bathula remembers fighting with her four siblings over the latest issues of Russian children’s books. “Whatever our financial condition, my father always ensured that there were books at home.” she said. “In the ’80s, they were our only source of entertainment, and we devoured Russian literature. Especially
Misha magazine, Dunno’s adventures, Teryosha, Byelorussian folktales, books by Nikolai Nosov published by Raduga and Mir Publishers.”