A Rush of Joy-My LEC Journey

Written by Surya Prakash, LEC 2019

I was introduced to Bookworm’s LEC Course way back in 2017 when one of my well wishers suggested me, “Surya, if you are working on libraries, you should attend this course”. And I found many excuses and made sure not to attend this until I got a glimpse of what this course could be, last December. It was so much of an eye opener and I realised that I knew so less about libraries. For me, ever since there was a curiosity to attend this course to have a deeper understanding of what I have been doing for past six years now. I was determined to know why I should focus on libraries and how I could enrich myself with this exposure.LEC is spread over seven months with three contact periods in Goa! Mind it, when I told this to my friends and colleagues, they just smiled. After all, people go to Goa for vacations! What am I going to learn here? LEC changed my perspective of Goan culture – its so much more than what has been projected to us as an outsider. Well, the first and second contact periods are of six days each. I have just completed my second contact period and sharing my personal journey here. LEC started with a bang, that welcoming by every single person in Bookworm library. My suggestion – “if you are confused with your own experiences about libraries, if you are stuck with the same routine stuff, come here at LEC..six days of adrenaline rush will revive everything”. I wonder how the course faculty ensure that everyone sits, enjoys and participates in the sessions from 9 am to 7 pm and still left with enough energy to continue for two-three hours more. Readings (from a wonderfully designed compendium for each contact period) are given for next day and the sheer engagement level becomes so high that even after dinner or early morning, one remains so energetic to read. I can say there is some magic! And mind it, this schedule continues for all the six days. Time just flies by and one doesn’t know how quickly you reach the last day of the contact period. But, in between, there is so much of creative space for each and every individual. I remember one activity from the first contact period each participant had to roam around in the hall and greet as many people, without saying a word and exchange a sort of visiting card. We had to write only the positive things about the other person just looking at their face. I was surprised how correct most of the participants were when they wrote about me without knowing me much..I am a bit introvert and I just cannot begin with conversations. Yet, it was so much fun!There is an automatic transition which happens, from individual to collective. There isn’t a single moment when you feel left alone. This happens even during the distant period when there are regular calls from faculty and discussions ongoing on ‘Moodle’ – an online interactive platform for this course. Be it the assignments or field project, the course faculty are always there and won’t let you go into sleep mode. Each day is new, every moment is refreshing and every next person is simply amazing!

Learning over here is a free flowing journey – if there are words like inclusive, reflection, childhood, vibrant, immersion, inter sectionality, interaction, diversity, window, mirror, collection, gender, I got a whole new perspective here in the course (there are many more of them). I always knew reading with the text but I am learning reading against the text here. I am learning ‘why we do, what we do’ here. I am learning an approach to look at a book, and at the same time how my collection in the library should be. Above all, the vision of a library is emerging for me. I am learning to take care of books and why reading a book before including it in my collection is so critical. I am learning why there is a need to move from practice to praxis. I am learning why it is so important to know the reader and also importance to engage with each reader. LEC demonstrates it all. All of a sudden, a faculty will come and ask you – ‘hey, you said this while we were discussing and I think we should talk about it now, what is that you feel’? The faculty will never superimpose their thoughts rather they understand your version first and then move ahead with some of their thoughts and experiences. And then say, ‘keep thinking’.LEC has played such an immense role in my own immersion to the world of books and libraries. And for sure, Bookworm library is a treasure and the best curated children’s library I have seen so far.

It was my sheer passion that I started a children’s library in my village and then moved on to working to strengthen Government school libraries in Bihar but this has been coupled with a ‘thinking trajectory’ that I am getting from LEC. I have made so many journeys in my life but this journey is always to remain very special to me. Though I repent of delaying this journey but I really thank each one in this course, the faculty, entire Bookworm team and my friends attending this course for ensuring such a wonderful learning experience!