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Muskan Ahirwar

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Muskan Ahirwar
Muskan in 2023
Born2006 or 2007 (age 17–18)
Occupation(s)Educator and librarian

Muskan Ahirwar (born 2006 or 2007) is an Indian educator and librarian from Bhopal, India.[1][2] In 2016, when she was 9 years old, she created a community library for children in the worker's colony where she lives, named Kitabi Masti ("fun with books") in Hindi. The library has since moved to a dedicated space and has been expanded to over 3,000 books.[3][4][5] She has been given several awards for her work including by NITI Aayog, Hyderabad Literature Festival, and the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.[6][7]

Kitabi Masti

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Kitabi Masti (Muskan standing, centre) with children who use the library

The library, Kitabi Masti ("fun with books"), is built in the common space of Durganagar worker's colony in Arera Hills of Bhopal where Muskan lives.[8][9] She started the library on 26 January 2016 with her sister Neha to serve the children who live in the area.[10][11][12] The library began with 25 books hung on a string outside her house.[13][14][15] "I was nine years old when I started this library ... I had collected some books which I displayed outside my house by hanging them on a rope. The colourful images fascinated the children in the locality. They started visiting my house regularly to read the books. This is how my interest in books started to grow."[5]

In 2017, Muskan was awarded a grant by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to fund development of the library.[14] The library has since moved to a dedicated space which has been renovated using waste materials by architecture students from the National Association of Students of Architecture.[5][16] The library has been expanded to over 3,000 books through contributions of books from places in India as well as the United States, South Africa, and other countries.[5][6]

Awards

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Muskan at the Children's Champion Awards 2023

Muskan has been recognised with several awards for her work and has also been commended by Madhya Pradesh UNICEF Field Office Chief, Michael Juma.[17]

  • 2016: Women Transforming Award by NITI Aayog for her work[17][18]
  • 2016: Thought Leader award by NITI Ayog in New Delhi[19]
  • 2018: Princess Diana Award, Sushiksha Awards[16]
  • 2019: Food4Thought Foundation's Indian Reading Olympiad, category "I am bond" under 18, award[20]
  • 2019: India Reading Olympiad, Hyderabad Literature Festival[7]
  • 2020: Devi Awards Indore countdown series[16]
  • 2023: Children's Champion Award by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights[6]
  • 2023: Vivekanand State Youth Award[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ "Bhopal's little librarian gets big ovation for ingenuity". Hindustan Times. 10 September 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  2. ^ "This 9-Year-Old Started Her Very Own Library For Slum Children". Homegrown. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  3. ^ Swabhiman Bharat Story of Muskan Ahirwar: A 14-year Librarian & Teacher, Bal Pustakalay, News18 India, retrieved 6 December 2023 – via Youtube
  4. ^ Madhya Pradesh के Bhopal में 16 साल की मुस्कान बनीं मिसाल, गरीब बच्चों के लिए चलातीं है Library (in Hindi), NDTV MP Chhattisgarh, retrieved 6 December 2023 – via Youtube
  5. ^ a b c d "A Beacon of Hope: "Kitabi Masti" a bibliophile made out of waste that illuminates young lives". ETV Bharat News. 27 October 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b c "Children Category | Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR)". dcpcr.delhi.gov.in. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Muskan to be honoured at Hyderabad Litfest". The Times of India. 18 January 2019. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  8. ^ Meet India's Little Librarian, Al Jazeera, retrieved 6 December 2023 – via Youtube
  9. ^ ScooNews, Team (25 March 2016). "A library for slum children thats run by a 9-year-old". ScooNews. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Muskaan Ahirwar: 9 years old, class 3, librarian of a Bhopal slum is educating generation next". The Times of India. 9 March 2016. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Muskaan is running a library at just nine years old". www.newsnationtv.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  12. ^ This 10-year-old girl runs an international library | मुस्कान ने सहेजा शिक्षा का अधिकार (in Hindi), Aapki News, retrieved 6 December 2023 – via Youtube
  13. ^ Singh, Tanaya (10 March 2016). "9-Year-Old Muskaan from Bhopal Runs a Library to Educate Other Kids in Her Slum". The Better India. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Class V student who runs library in slum gets Chief Minister to help". www.asianage.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  15. ^ यहां बच्ची चलाती है Library | Slum Area में आशा की किरण बनी Muskaan (in Hindi), IBC24 News, retrieved 6 December 2023 – via Youtube
  16. ^ a b c Banik, Mahuya (1 July 2021). "The Story of Muskan Ahirwar, a 14-year old librarian for Bhopal slum kids". Doer Life. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  17. ^ a b Indian, The Logical (27 December 2016). "A Girl Who Has Set Up A Library Outside Her House For The Slum Children In Her Neighborhood". thelogicalindian.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  18. ^ Meet the 9-Year-Old Librarian Muskan Ahirwar, The Quint, retrieved 6 December 2023 – via Youtube
  19. ^ "Women Transforming india aWards 2016 – NITI Aayog -A Budding Librarian- Muskan Ahirwar". www.lisportal.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  20. ^ "Muskan Ki Masti". Food4thought Foundation. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
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