- From Scrolling to Storytelling
Kamal Kumar Biswas.TOD.Kushmandi
In an effort to nurture reading habits among children and counter growing mobile phone addiction, Khagrakuri Primary School in Kushmandi of Dakshin Dinajpur has organized the second edition of its Children’s Book Fair and Handicrafts Fair, an initiative that has already drawn widespread praise from the district’s education community.
The two-day event, held on March 6 and 7, was formally inaugurated with a ceremonial lamp lighting and ribbon cutting. Distinguished guests were welcomed with traditional Uttariyo and bouquets before the program began. Among those present were poet Sohel Islam, poet Gobinda Sarkar, writer and teacher Sajal Majumdar, Moutusi Pal, education award recipient Shanta Ghosh, retired teacher Akhil Raut, Jahangir Alam, education Karmadhakshya of the Kushmandi Panchayat Samiti, and Sahim Reza, the school inspector of the Kushmandi circle. The opening ceremony was followed by cultural performances presented by students and local residents.
School authorities say the initiative emerged from a simple but important question: before blaming children for not reading books, are adults creating the right environment for them to develop that habit? With this idea in mind, the school organized the district’s first children’s book fair in a government primary school in 2025. Following its success, a community library was established on the campus, earning appreciation beyond the district and across the state.Inspired by the initiative, renowned Bengali writers such as Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay, Baridbaran Ghosh, Pracheta Gupta and Sanjib Chattopadhyay sent autographed books to enrich the school’s community library collection.
Going beyond the formal curriculum, the school has also introduced a regular “library class.” During these sessions, students record in a register the books they read and the time they spend reading them, helping to build both interest and discipline around reading.To widen participation, invitations were sent to schools across the block. Students, teachers, local residents and literary figures from across the district have been taking part in the fair, turning the small village school into a lively cultural hub.
According to assistant teacher Pritam Saha, the school currently has around 100 students and five teachers, offering classes from pre-primary to fifth grade. Under the leadership of head teacher Md. Reyajul Islam, teachers Sushobhan Roy, Shahili Akter Jahan and Runa Layla worked tirelessly to transform the idea into reality.Educators involved in the project say the goal is clear: to guide children away from increasing dependence on mobile phones and rekindle a lasting love for books.
At a time when government schools often face skepticism, the initiative by this small rural school in Kushmandi has been widely applauded by education enthusiasts across the district, who see it as a powerful example of how grassroots efforts can revive a culture of reading among the next generation.
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