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Clinking utensils, the mild brewing of tea, and the energetic chatter of individuals eagerly awaiting their meals create a vibrant atmosphere inside the eatery. Usually, your entire house is imbued with the tantalising aroma of scrumptious meals being ready within the kitchen. Nevertheless, this pleasant scent usually goes unnoticed by prospects whose noses are sometimes buried within the books they’re studying.
With probably the most cheerful and wrinkly smile, 74-year-old Bhimabai Jondhale observes your entire commotion. “I really feel a way of satisfaction once I watch all my prospects studying keenly, virtually forgetting what they had been right here for – meals,” she shares in a dialog with The Higher India.
Fondly often known as Aaji, Bhimabai has been operating her e-book restaurant, ‘Ajjichya Pustakancha Lodge‘ (Grandmother’s Lodge with Books), since 2010, serving not solely scrumptious meals but in addition providing free books to learn.
The place boasts a depository of over 5,000 books in three totally different languages — Marathi, Hindi, and English. Nevertheless, the origin story of this e-book lodge will certainly soften your coronary heart!
For the timeless love for studying
If it’s your birthday or anniversary, you might be positive to not depart and not using a free e-book from Aaji Lodge. Positioned in Ozar, Nashik district, Bhimabai’s son helps her within the operations.
Whereas the lodge is likely to be flourishing with colors and ample seating areas at present, it was solely a makeshift spot for tea greater than a decade in the past.
“It was the one approach for my mom to fill our stomachs. Whereas she is a constructive girl at present, she has had her fair proportion of struggles again within the day,” says Pravin Jondhale, Bhimabai’s son.
Recalling her formative years, Bhimabai shares that she was merely at school 6 when she was married off and despatched to a small village close to Nashik.
“As a baby, I used to be a really eager observer. I used to like studying, and books had been my finest good friend. Nevertheless, once I received married, every part modified,” she says.
Away from house and every part she liked, Bhimabai discovered herself alone, tending to a household.
“My husband was an alcoholic who spent most of his time wandering round. Not solely did I’ve to handle the house, but in addition the farms,” she says, including, “When my daughter turned slightly older, she would go to the farms with me.”
Together with her kids rising up, she needed to ship them to highschool. “We had been at all times financially weak, however my husband’s dependancy made issues worse. He, in a state of intoxication, both offered off his land or gambled it away,” she says.
Left and not using a means to feed her household, Bhimabai would work for hours in numerous folks’s fields to carry meals to the desk. “I used to be fed up with the life we had. My son was going to highschool and had picked up a newspaper distribution job to assist me,” she shares.
Pravin elaborates on his mom’s battle from his perspective, “All of the family had been at all times making an attempt to have their approach along with her. My father was a father solely in title. He by no means took any tasks. Like my mom, I had a zeal to get an schooling. I received a job at a newspaper distributor and funded my schooling myself,” he says.
There was just one escape from the difficult life – transfer to town. “It was like a beacon of hope for us. I might in all probability discover some work there, and my mom could be away from her family. So, we determined to unload no matter was left of our land and moved to town,” he says.
In 2008, the household moved to town. Pravin had already began a publishing firm and days had been trying higher.
“Attributable to some private causes, I needed to shut down the publishing firm, and we had a inventory of Marathi language books with us. My mom and sister didn’t know a lot past farming, in order that they began a makeshift tea stall to satisfy our bills,” he says.
No telephones, solely books!
In 2010, Bhimabai, alongside along with her daughter, laid the muse of what’s at present Ajjichya Pustakancha Lodge.
Whereas the household moved, the taunts and harsh phrases by no means stopped following her. “They might speak about how the ladies of the home shouldn’t wander round promoting tea; she ought to handle the home. However I didn’t care about these taunts anymore,” she says.
“My kids and I slowly began to make use of financial savings to increase the tea stall and make it an eatery. What I observed was that whereas an individual would wait for his or her meals, they might at all times be buried of their telephone,” she says.
“They might not converse with one another however would preserve scrolling on their telephone. I discovered the behavior very absurd and needed to do one thing about it,” she says.
As a lady who was keen on studying however by no means received the prospect to, she determined to reintroduce the behavior of studying to folks.
“Books are our greatest buddies. They’re your companions in each scenario. We began off with simply 25 books in a stand within the eatery and it saved rising. We began encouraging folks to choose up a e-book and browse whereas we cook dinner their meal,” she says.
“By the point the meals would arrive at their desk, they might have already reached chapter two of the e-book,” she provides.
Folks began to understand her initiative and phrase unfold. The e-book assortment which began with solely 25 books has now grown to 5,000 books.
“Along with books within the eatery, we additionally give free books on particular events reminiscent of Ladies’s Day and Republic Day to provoke a behavior of studying amongst folks. We even have began giving books as items to hospitals,” he says.
“For folks ready on the hospital for a liked one or for their very own remedy, we hope our books will assist. My mom believes that medicines deal with your physique however books heal your soul,” he provides.
The eatery has additionally since saved on rising and folks have donated books to Aaji’s assortment.
She expresses, “I really feel delighted once I see folks studying books on the eatery. All my life, I’ve struggled to have a steady life, however what saved me going was my kids. For a girl who was at all times keen on studying however by no means received to, once I see younger kids come to the eatery and browse, I really feel like I’ve succeeded in my initiative,” she says.
When you have spare books that you just wish to donate to the eatery, you’ll be able to attain out to Pravin at 9922946622
(Edited by Padmashree Pande; All footage credit score: Pravin)
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