Book wall bridges the gap

Satyasarathi Poddar celebrated his 12th birthday on Thursday not counting his gifts but gifting his books to the Great Wall of Education at City Centre in Kolkata.

Among the 30 books that the Class VI student gave to be passed on to children who cannot afford to buy them was 1000 Words in Pictures gifted on his second birthday by his uncle and aunt. The message on the first page of the dictionary read: ‘With a hope that you do not tear it up’.

“I haven’t torn the book, and I now want to give it to some kids who can make as much use of it as I did…. My uncle and aunt would be very happy,” said the Bhavan’s Gangabux Kanoria Vidya Mandir boy from Bangur.

Not long before Satyasarathi came to the Aviva Great Wall of Education, presented by The Telegraph, Dipak Basu, 75, and wife Maitreyee, 70, had arrived at the Salt Lake landmark from Jodhpur Park, armed with 25 books.

“The distance (or even his arthritic limp) does not matter considering the cause that we are giving the books for,” said Dipak Basu, carrying mostly physics books of his son, a professor at University of California. “He does not need these anymore. And I did not know we could also bring storybooks, so I will come back with some before Sunday.”

Full report here Telegraph