12-year-old girl opens seven libraries, receives applause from PM Modi
At the age of 12, Akarshana established seven libraries on her own and received recognition from notable figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Former Vice President of India Venkaiah Naidu, among others.
Class 7 Akarshna has established seven libraries and has received recognition from PM Modi.
New Delhi ,UPDATED: Sep 8, 2023 14:03 IST
Meet Akarshana Sathish, a Class 7 student from Hyderabad Public School in Begumpet, who brings smiles to the faces of hundreds of students. At the age of 12, Akarshana has established seven libraries on her own and received recognition from notable figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Former Vice President of India Shri Venkaiah Naidu, among others. But how did she do it? This is her story.
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It all began in 2021 when she visited the MNJ Cancer Children's Hospital.
"When my parents and I visited the MNJ cancer children to provide food, the children undergoing cancer treatment met me daily and asked me to bring them coloring and drawing sheets because there was a complete lockdown due to Covid," says Akarshana.
The following day, Akarshana brought a few books. However, even more kids began to inquire for books. It was at that moment that she decided to ask her school and apartment community to contribute any of their good old books in good condition.
"I received a lot of excellent feedback from them, and I ended up collecting 5836 books. Hence, I started my journey with a vision of 'Empowering Minds through Libraries' as my project to create ten libraries by December 2023," says Akarshana.
THE SEVEN LIBRARIES
Akarshana has so far opened seven libraries. The first one was at MNJ Cancer Children's Hospital with 1036 books, the second at the Sanath Nagar Police Station with 825 books, the third at the Gayathri Nagar Association in Borabanda with 250 books, the fourth at the Juvenile and Observation Home for Girls in Hyderabad with 625 books, the fifth at the Coimbatore City Police Street libraries with 200 books, and the sixth at the Chennai Boys Club in the Nolambur Police Station with 1200 books.
Her most recent library, the seventh, containing 610 books, was set up at Govt High School in Old Sanath Nagar Area, Hyderabad.
"Several young girls my age voiced their happiness at receiving books like physics, biology, chemistry, and dictionaries, which they found very helpful in their day-to-day schoolwork. I persuaded them by saying that once they have finished reading their used fiction or nonfiction books of general knowledge, they should give them to me so that I can donate them to others," says Akarshna.
WHAT MOTIVATED HER?
Citing her school, Akarshana said reading is an essential part of the curriculum at Hyderabad Public School. This reading habit gave her the idea of donating books and creating libraries.
"My teachers at HPS have always encouraged me to give back to society. My source of inspiration is the alumni culture of our school, which believes in giving back to the school as well as society," says Akarshna.
"I would like to carry this legacy forward and am confident that these books will inspire people and children to read more frequently, which will increase their knowledge and beliefs. This is something that both adults and kids who use her library will find essential," says the Class 7 student.
In her journey to establish the libraries, her neighbors, friends, and family members motivated her, praised her, and encouraged her to open more libraries.
"I have observed that many of my neighbors, friends, and family members are convinced and want me to create more libraries that will be helpful to everyone," says Akarshana.
LETTER FROM PM MODI
In 2021, Akarshana received a letter of appreciation from PM Modi, who encouraged her to do more for society and asked her to move forward in life with positivity and success.
"I have received a letter of appreciation from our Prime Minister Modi, who encouraged me to do more for society and asked me to go forward in life with positivity and success," says 12-year-old Akarshana.
She has also submitted information about the establishment of her seven libraries to the NAMO team and is waiting for confirmation from the PMO so that she can meet the Prime Minister in person and discuss her initiative, 'Empowering Minds through Libraries.'
WHAT DO YOU ASPIRE TO BECOME?
At the end of our conversation, we asked Akarshna what she wanted to become when she grew up, to which she replied that she wanted to become a Space Scientist.