Mumbai: As part of his expansive body of work, Marathi poet Mangesh Padgaonkar had written a poem called ‘Vengurlyacha Paus,’ the rain of Vengurla, a taluka in Maharashtra’s Konkan belt where he was born.
The poem talks about how the rain would come with love, embrace him, how it would fill his childhood days and at times even put him to sleep with a mother-like tenderness.
Soon, it would be possible for poetry enthusiasts to actually experience Padgaonkar’s description while reading his poetry, as well as a vast range of other Marathi poems.
Padgaonkar’s birth village, Ubhadanda at Vengurla taluka in Sindhudurg district, is preparing to brand itself as a ‘Village of Poems’ with the help of the Maharashtra government.
The village administration has identified spaces inside private residences, scattered across the Ubhadanda panchayat limits, where it can set up libraries filled with Marathi poetry books.
“We have tried to identify unique spots across the village that can also give a glimpse of the village’s landscape and cultural heritage. The state government will provide the books. It will be a great opportunity to put Ubhadanda on Maharashtra’s tourist map,” Nilesh Chamankar, the village sarpanch, told ThePrint.
The concept of the ‘Village of Poems’ follows a similar project that the Maharashtra government implemented in another village seven years ago—a ‘Village of Books’ set up at Bhilar village in Satara district on the lines of ‘Hay-on-Wye’ in Wales in the UK.
The Marathi language department issued a formal government resolution to set up the ‘Village of Poems’ on 13 September for which Rs 1.94 crore has been set aside for the project.
Beaches, gardens, homes to become libraries
Chamankar said, the gram panchayat has identified 16 spots located within private properties that can be turned into libraries. One of them is fully functional, while for the others, the gram panchayat is awaiting further directions from the Maharashtra government.
As per the resolution, the owners of the properties where libraries are to be set up will have to show clear property records, and will have to sign a formal agreement with the state government. The reading rooms will have to be at least 250 square feet in size.
“We have kept all the documents ready. We have identified different types of places for poetry reading. There is one house with a big garden where the owners can make seating arrangements, and people can pick out a book of their choice and read outdoors. Two other libraries are at the beach, so that visitors can also enjoy that aspect of our village,” Chamankar said.
Tourism opportunity
Owners will be responsible for all the basic infrastructure—electricity, availability of toilets and drinking water, and maintenance of the premises.
The state government has also stated that it will not pay any rental amount or compensation to the property owners for giving their space for the project.
Sarpanch Chamankar said the lack of rent or compensation from the government will not be an issue.
“We have been telling our people that if we want to develop our village as a tourist spot and directly benefit from it, we cannot be solely dependent on the government. We are advising property owners who have given their space on how best they can use the opportunity,” he said.
He added, those giving their space for the project can monetarily benefit in other ways.
“They can turn a room in their house into a home stay for those visiting the libraries. The women who otherwise cook only for their families can become home chefs and cater to the visiting tourists. Other local produce can be sold in the house alongside the libraries. The opportunities are endless,” he said.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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