This MBM conversation is with Shabnam Nafisa Kalim, a resident of Mustafabad - a predominantly Muslim suburban area in North-east Delhi, where she and her team of volunteers run two libraries to create a learning and educational space for their community. Mashaal Library and Amma’s Library have over the years become spaces of educational resources to prepare Mustafabad’s youngsters for competitive examinations, and support the local community through adult literacy, career counselling and mental well-being sessions.

In this interaction, Shabnam also sheds light on managing internal community challenges, ensuring that libraries are acknowledged as fundamental needs for younger generation, where girls and women can spend time without being questioned by their families, and women recognise the value of their time away from family responsibilities. This kind of effort has resulted in more women coming to these libraries and encouraging others to join too.

Links of the libraries:

* Mashaal Library

* Amma’s Library

Episode notes:

* Why libraries are a must in India’s public schools (Sneha Priya Yanappa and Avinash Reddy, Scroll, March 2023)

* With Poor Infrastructure, Lack of Facilities Govt Schools Perform Worst Across India: Report (Ditsa Bhattacharya, NewsClick, July 2021)

* Ghettoes, Religious Communities and the State - A Muslim Enclave in New Delhi (Debanjana Das, ARF India, 2022)

* Delhi Riots Fact-Finding 2020 by Delhi Minorities Commission (July 2020)

* The Pursuit of Dignity & Beauty in a Broken World ft. Bhumika Saraswati (Anurag Minus Verma Podcast, January 2025)

* Kranti Collective

MBM visual identity design by Shazia Salam || Music by Jupneet Singh

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