A Day at Book Pratha: Curating Our Department Library

A Day at Book Pratha: Curating Our Department Library

There’s something magical about stepping into a bookstore — the quiet hum of pages waiting to be read, the faint smell of new books, and the unspoken promise that every shelf holds a new world. That magic was alive and well during our recent visit to Book Pratha in Bhavnagar, an experience made even more special by the purpose behind it: selecting books for our Department of English Library.

What made this visit truly exciting was that it wasn’t just a casual browse. Thanks to the generous grant from Vinod Joshi Sir, we had the rare opportunity to handpick books we felt would enrich our department’s collection, books we’ve long wished to see on our library shelves.

The selection process was both thrilling and thoughtful. It wasn’t about grabbing the first book that caught our eye. It was about imagining what future students might need and love. There was a shared sense of responsibility, a feeling that we weren’t just choosing for ourselves but for everyone who would step into our library in the years to come. We carefully balanced classic and contemporary works. Each book felt like a small step toward building a more dynamic and inclusive collection that reflects not just what we study, but how we think, question, and grow.

As Umberto Eco once said, “We live for books. A sweet mission in this world dominated by disorder and decay.” Yesterday at Book Pratha, this quote resonated deeply. Every book we selected wasn’t just an addition to the library but a promise of future discoveries, discussions, and perhaps even dissertations.

A heartfelt thank you to Vinod Joshi Sir for making this experience possible. His support gave us more than just new books — it gave us a renewed sense of ownership and pride in our department’s library.

Here’s to many more days of reading, curating, and building spaces that inspire.