Guwahati, May 2: Bhilar, a village near the renowned hill station of Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra, once famous for its strawberries, has now proudly taken on its new identity as the home of knowledge as it became India’s first ‘Village of Books’.
The village on the hillock, with its green valleys, strawberry bounty, and waterfalls, is dotted with colourful murals, paintings and artworks, adding to the beauty of this place.
Each over 25 locations in the village, which serves as genre-specific libraries, is decorated with pictures and artworks relating to the theme of the books inside. The streets and inroads of the village are dotted with artistic billboards directing the tourists towards the various houses, helping them make their way towards the book they seek.
The concept of the village is reflection of our culture ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ (A Guest is akin to God). Brainchild of Maharashtra’s former Marathi Bhasha minister Vinod Thawde, he introduced this qnuwues idea on February 27, 2015.
An ardent reader himself, Tawde was inspired by England’s ‘Hay on Wye’ and thus Bhilar, a small village in the strawberry-producing area of Satara district took on a new identity as ‘Pustakanch Gaav’.
The former education minister, Vinod Tawde led the project that was undertaken by the department of Marathi Bhasha. Over 75 artists were requested by the Government of Maharashtra to paint the premises to be used as reader hotspots. There was a three-day painting camp held in which different artists participated and painted the walls with graphics as per the genre of book that was going to be placed there
Apart from villagers’ homes, the state government also selected some commercial spots to showcase the village’s atmosphere. These spots included hotels, temples and guesthouses.
With its newly-acclaimed fame as Pustakanche Gao, this tiny hamlet is registering growth in the number of tourists. And since some of the books found in Bhilar are rare to find, a lot of tourists come here for academic or research enquiry. As per the villagers, their village is offering something new to tourists apart from the usual sightseeing.
Bhilar is a sleepy, small hamlet located in the Satara district in Maharashtra. Its envious location between the picturesque Panchgani and the British-era hill station Mahabaleshwar will prompt anyone to explore it once. This small village was, for a long time, in the limelight for strawberry cultivation, which has now moved away from the spotlight. It is now basking in its new-found fame for being India’s first book village.