A group of state government teachers in Alipurduar are taking the Boi Gram (village of books) initiative further by planning online classes and free coaching for competitive exams in Garom Busty, a forest village near the Buxa Tiger Reserve.
The teachers had set up the district’s first Boi Gram and the NGO Apon Katha in Panijhora, 12km from Alipurduar, last year. Inspired by its success, they will open a second Boi Gram with new additions at Garom Busty, around 8km from Alipurduar town, in June first week.
“In Garom Busty, we are introducing two new features —online coaching and free offline coaching for various government job examinations,” said Partha Saha, secretary of Apon Katha. “This marks a significant step forward from our first model in Panijhora,”he added.
Plans to house over 1,000 books, including poetry, drama, and fiction in Bengali, English, Hindi, and local languages, at the Garom Busty central library are underway. A dedicated section for books related to competitive exam preparation will also be added. The library is expected to become operational within a month.
Experts will coach village youths for jobs in the police, army, bank, and railway sectors, which are sought after by local residents.
“We aim to not only promote reading habits but also build a bridge for career opportunities,” Saha added. “Panijhora will function as the hub in our hub-and-spoke model, supporting new literacy centres like Garom Busty.”
Saha highlighted how the first Boi Gram in Panijhora has changed the educational landscape. “We’ve seen students return to classrooms, and even guardians have begun to value education more. In Garom Busty, we want to go further.”
The initiative has started to impact the village positively. “Iswary Chhetry, a 37-year-old woman from Garom Busty who once excelled in her Madhyamik exams but had to discontinue studies, is now preparing to complete Class XII through an open university. Another girl, who dropped out after Class X, will resume her studies in Class XI this year,” said Saha.
In addition to academic coaching, youths in Garom Busty will also have access to cultural activities and drawing classes.
Meanwhile, in Panijhora, children and youths are crafting name plates bearing the titles of literary works like Charulata, Aranyak, Rakto Karobi and Nayantara for 90 homes in the village.
“This year, we plan to replicate this model in three more forest villages,” said Saha.