On a warm afternoon at Delhi University’s North Campus, a group of students gather under a sprawling tree, their heads buried in books. There’s no librarian, no staff, and no signboard reminding them of silence. Instead, there’s a banner pinned to the fence: Book in Hand Campaign—Free Library for All.
Started in August 2023 by two young Delhi residents, Pratik and Anurag Kumar, the Book in Hand Campaign (BHC India) is a quiet revolution spreading the joy of reading among people who can’t afford books or stopped reading because access was difficult.
Over the years, the initiative—run under the CELL Foundation—has built six open-air libraries across Delhi-NCR: in parks, university campuses, and even in slum areas. These libraries run on pure trust—there are no membership fees, no deposits, and no penalties. Anyone can pick up a book, read it on the spot, or take it home for up to two weeks.
“When you have books lying on your shelf, already read, you start wondering—what if someone else who wants to read could have them?” says Pratik, 25, one of the co-founders. “This thought became our starting point.”
Unlike traditional libraries, the BHC spaces are built under open skies, near tea stalls, benches, or bus stops. Every shelf is stacked with books, mostly in Hindi and English.
Starting from two shelves and 200 donated books, the initiative has now grown to over 1,000 books and a community of more than 5,200 readers. Students preparing for competitive exams, rickshaw pullers, domestic workers, children, and retirees—everyone finds something that speaks to them. “We started with donations from friends,” recalls Anurag, also 25. “Then we used our savings to buy old books from Daryaganj and Rajouri. Every rupee was worth it when we saw strangers walk away smiling with a book in their hand.”
Today, the team has over 20 volunteers, mostly young people who help maintain the libraries, organise reading sessions, and manage book returns. On weekends, the group sets up mobile libraries in university campuses and parks.
At DU alone, two libraries rotate weekly across different spots. “We pick days when the crowd is high,” says Pratik. “Many take books home. We just take their name, number, and address. That’s it.”
Trust is the foundation of the movement. There are no strict systems or IDs to prove identity. And surprisingly, very few books ever go missing. “It’s amazing,” says Anurag, “In the beginning, we were worried people might not return the books. But that didn’t happen. In fact, many people bring extra books when they return one. They feel connected to this.”
The response from Delhi’s slums has been particularly heartening. The Dimarpur library, for instance, sees a steady flow of visitors—from young students preparing for exams to older women discovering reading for the first time.
“In slum areas, we saw something special,” says Anurag. “People who had never owned a book were sitting under trees reading together. They felt respected, seen.” The campaign’s larger goal is not just to provide books, but to rebuild the culture of reading in public life. “We don’t just want to give books,” explains Pratik. “We want to make reading visible again—in parks, campuses, open spaces. When others see people reading, it inspires them too.”
Competitive exam books, dictionaries, and children’s storybooks are among the most requested titles among financially weaker families.
Delhi’s unpredictable weather poses significant challenges. “During summer, the heat can ruin the books. In monsoons, we sometimes have to temporarily pack everything,” says Pratik. Hindi books, especially for children and beginners, are short in supply, even as people in slums or smaller colonies prefer them.
In weekly reading circles, people read aloud, share thoughts, or simply listen. The founders hope to expand to more neighborhoods soon — and to add books in other languages like Urdu, Tamil, and Bengali. “Delhi is a city of migrants,” says Pratik. “We want everyone to find a book in their own language.”
Books, believes Anurag, are just an excuse. “What we’re really building is trust,” he says.