No time, no space, but yes, a library: An Odisha story
Colorful books about animals, birds, plants and ‘moral’ tales hung from a rope tied to the wall of the classroom. ‘Didi’ (the teacher) took out a book and told her children to pick their desired books. It was library period and children knew it was ‘their time with books.’ They went up to the rope and picked out the ones they liked, and sat back on the floor to read. When the teacher had first entered the class, the children had been seated in their usual neat rows. But soon as they returned with their chosen books and got down to reading them, there was no place to put a foot down. Children were scattered in the room, some were reading individually while some chose to share and read. They sat in the corners of the room, side by side, back to back, encircled - each child with his or her ow...