The gift of knowledge @ A website introduces donors of books to those in need
A news item that Mrunal Jitendra Bajaj saw in
2015 touched her deeply, and gave her life a new meaning. The news was about a
boy in Class IX who committed suicide as he had no money to buy textbooks.
It prompted her to start a portal, www.donateurbooks.com, for people wishing to
donate books and those in need of books. All transactions on the website are
free.
“Every house has a stock of old books that
are rarely used. Due to space constraints, many sell these to scrap dealers at
throwaway prices. While some of us wish to give them to the needy, we are not
aware of where we can donate them,” says Ms. Bajaj.
Ms. Bajaj, now a Class XII Commerce student
of Saraswati Secondary High School, Thane, has been running the website for two
years. Around 587 customers have registered on donateurbook.com and nearly 125 books are listed on it, most
of them in the educational category.
For inspiration, Ms. Bajaj didn’t have to look
beyond her family. Her grandfather, Sudhakar Bajaj, is a freedom fighter while
her parents, Jitendra Bajaj and Reema Bajaj have been running a free
educational institution for underprivileged children in Thane since 1994. “I
have seen the financial constraints faced by such children up close;
particularly how difficult it becomes for them to buy textbooks,” says Ms.
Bajaj.
How it works
A very simple registration process is
required to list the books one wishes to donate. Once the registration process
is complete, the donor can post the images of the books.
Books can be listed in different categories
and sub categories. In the educational category, for instance, there are the
standard (class) and medium sub-categories.
“This is done to make the task easier for the
user,” says Suyog Vaze, Director and CEO of Techspiron Systems, that developed
the website.
“The quality of book can be rated and
multiple images can be uploaded,” he says. The listing is verified by the
administrator and activated later to ensure the authenticity of the listing and
the user.
“The user who wants a particular book can
search for it by typing its name or using the filter option available on the
home page or book category section. If you are a registered member, you can see
the contact details of the person and the location,” says Ms. Bajaj.
While contacting the donor, the user needs to
mention that she got the number from the site and the donor has to give the
listed book free of cost.
A boon to many
The website has helped more than just school
students. Ravi Shetty, who is now in his second year of MCom, received nearly
three books when he was studying for his BCom through the site. “I have in turn
given those books to my friends in need.” He says the website has helped many
students who are unable to buy books due to financial constraints and have to
solely rely on libraries, which at times are far from their homes.
Says Tanvi Kemse, a second-year student of
Business Management Studies, KV College, Thane, “I was able to get a book on
Law last year, which was helpful to me. This site really makes us value books
more and encourages us to donate them after use.”
Ms. Bajaj has not so far kept a record of the
number of transactions on the website, considering they were all free of cost,
but intends to do so now. There is also a plan to develop a platform for
students who are searching for schools and colleges in their area.
The ultimate aim
“We desire to make it an educational listing
portal and to connect students with professors of various institutes to enable
them to ask their questions directly on chat,” says Ms. Bajaj. The ultimate
aim, she says, is, “No student from India should ever be deprived of education
simply because they are unable to purchase books.”
Source | The Hindu | 14 July 2017
Regards
Pralhad
Jadhav
Senior Manager @
Knowledge Repository
Khaitan
& Co
Upcoming Lecture | ACTREC - BOSLA Annual lecture series (125th birth anniversary of father of library
science, Padmashree Dr. S. R. Ranganathan) on Saturday, 12th August 2017 at Advanced Centre for Treatment,
Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC), Kharghar, Navi Mumbai. (Theme | 'MakerSpace')
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