![A man checks out books on September 14 at the new Ketab Sara-e-Uranus library established by a young Afghan woman in Badakhshan's provincial capital, Faizabad. [Photo courtesy of Gitty Farah]](/cnmi_st/images/2022/10/21/38077-1-739_416.webp)
BADAKHSHAN -- A young Afghan woman, determined to inspire others to read and stay motivated to learn, has invested her own resources to open a library in Badakhshan province.
Gitty Farah, 24, says her goal is to keep people engaged in reading to keep their mind off of the dire economic situation they are in.
"I also want people not to lose interest in reading books," said Farah, a medical student.
"Public appetite for reading has declined ... and it seems people have currently moved away from books," she said. "Having said that, it does not mean that people do not like reading -- they still like it -- but they seem to be less motivated."
"People do value and appreciate the importance of books, but they might have lost aspiration," Farah said. "We want to promote readership and give people a sense of motivation to rethink reading."
"I am sure our efforts will pay off," she said.
The library, called "Ketab Sara-e-Uranus", opened September 14. It is open every day and people of any age including adults and children, boys or girls, can visit it to read, buy or borrow books.
Warm welcome
Farah said that public response to the opening of her library was beyond her expectations, adding that dozens of children and young adults come to read or borrow books every day.
"We receive daily several encouraging messages on our Facebook page from fellow citizens who reside inside and outside Afghanistan," she said.
"People have warmly welcomed the initiative, and this is beyond what I expected because I thought people's sole focus now would be to survive" the current economic situation, she said.
"In just over a month, between 100 to 200 books were either donated as gifts [to the library] or borrowed by residents," she said.
Patrons can read the books in the library for free, but buying them is also an option.
"I am very happy about the opening of Ketab Sara-e-Uranus because all kinds of books that we need are available here," said Ellaha Feroz, 23, a student in the faculty of literature at Badakhshan University.
The library is a great resource for researchers, students and anyone who likes to read, she said.
"Since the owner of the library is a woman, it is a safe and welcoming place for girls," Feroz added.
Developing communities
"Badakhshan University students were facing issues accessing books and resources to complete their assignments and undertake research," said Jawed Riaz, a resident of Badakhshan province.
But opening the library has resolved this issue to a great extent, he said.
The establishment of cultural centres like Ketab Sara-e-Uranus is crucial for the youth's intellectual development, he said.
"I hope young people will not waste their spare time, but rather read books to advance their knowledge," he added.
Behzad Rasouli, a writer and poet living in Kabul, said the establishment of libraries and cultural centres is a very important step towards the development of communities.
"There is a very famous saying that when a library opens, a prison gate must close. This reaffirms the importance of keeping the doors of libraries open for the public," he said.
"If we encourage citizens to get used to reading books, we will reduce not only criminal activities but also corruption in society," he added.
Variety of books
Farah's library currently holds about 3,000 books, most of which she bought with her own funds, while some were donations.
She said she brings new books from Kabul at least twice a week and imports certain books from overseas.
"We dedicated a space for the blind, which we call the Braille books section, where books can be read by touch," Farah added.
The books cover a variety of areas, including poetry, science, literature, romance, politics, law, as well as schoolbooks and children's books.
For us, our elders used to say that the best friend is a book, which is true. Dear sister Giti Farah, keep doing your work, God willing, it will give you positive results. And try to encourage girls and boys to read books and not waste their time. Finally, I would like to say that your work is appreciated. Regards Musawar
Reply7 Comment
Thanks to both Farah and Mehbooba Akbar. Libraries and academic channels on the Internet are useful resources for students to use anytime. Mathematics is a difficult and boring subject for many students. Still, this young mathematics teacher, whom you can see in the channel below, has presented the topics of mathematics in a perfect way. You can also benefit from it yourself. Show it to kids at home who have trouble with math subjects: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9_fnU1ECOQ
Reply7 Comment
Growth and development in a society depend on books and reading books. If you read books and spend time studying, you may know that society stands up, and when the people stand up, you know that the country stands up. The culture of reading books should be strengthened, and people should love books more. And the other thing is that those young men and women emerging in culture and book writing should be encouraged and praised. This way, other people will also face reading and writing books.
Reply7 Comment
Friends of pen and book never grow in darkness, but we Afghans, who are not getting better, do not make friends with these two, and if we do, it is scarce. Most people in our society, including me, are addicted to using the internet a lot. We use Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram... and spend too much time on them, resulting in our low knowledge level. And yet we are always concerned about the telecommunication networks and why they do not reduce the internet prices. Man, you are always busy on this expensive internet, and if its price decreases, you will not have time even to recite the Holy Quran. If we (Afghans) want to get out of the existing miseries, we should use books and pens and spend and invest our money in building such places.
Reply7 Comment
Books and reading are the only way by which a society can get rid of problems. If any nation wants to make progress and not be exploited by foreign and opposing countries, it should turn to reading books. History has proved that a group of young people who read books can better lead a nation to the apexes of success than an army of young warriors. Reading can play a significant role in enlightening people's mentality. It is possible to avoid various misfortunes in the society by reading. Furthermore, by reading a book, you can completely change the shape of a country. I praise Ms. Gitty Farah's gracious activities and wish her success and complete health from God.
Reply7 Comment
The pen, the book, and the library show the ways of life and light. In any society that values books and pens, that society moves towards happiness. If you think that during the last 44 years, the armed fighters who were trained by the Pakistan Army and sent to Afghanistan to destroy, always the first thing they did was to destroy the schools. Our area had four or five schools, and they set fire to all of them. Pakistan's military and intelligence aimed to deprive the Afghan generation of knowledge. It is still observed that most of the attacks are carried out in educational centers. In this regard, this woman's efforts are commendable. I congratulate her. Thank you.
Reply7 Comment
The library remains like a garden where all kinds of flowers are placed, and book lovers can choose their favorite flowers. Ms. Farah also arranged a flower garden with all types of flowers so that others could enjoy the enlightenment's aroma. While I express my heartiest congratulations to Ms. Farah, I feel pathetic because I have more than a thousand books at home and wanted to take part in this honor, but as I live abroad, I cannot do so. I praise Ms. Farah, and I admire her intellectual moves. May her educational torch continue forever.
Reply7 Comment