SOMETIMES IT ONLY TAKES A GARDEN WITH FREE BOOKS!

Ever since I moved to Bhubaneswar for my higher studies, I have started appreciating everything I took for granted at home. Back then, I was so bored with the routine I was living, and I couldn't see how blessed I was with all those who made my life easier. Of all the things I miss the most, my home and family come first, followed by the beach walks we used to take every now and then. While Odisha is a coastal state, a visit to the beach from Bhubaneswar takes anywhere between 2 to 3 hours by road. I wouldn't say it's tiring, but spending the only off day mostly on travel is not what I wish for. 

Though I miss home, I have started appreciating things in my new place, too, because that's what I have learnt now from moving cities. The one thing I love the most about this place is its greenery. The town is merged in greens everywhere, and one can see plenty of birds taking a walk by their balcony. The noise level is very low unless the speakers go berserk during festivals, and the town gets sleepy by 9 pm. So, to compensate for the lack of beach visits, I found all the nearby parks in Bhubaneswar and frequent them whenever I feel down. It's not the same as the beach, but it's not a bad idea either. To be very honest, there aren't as many parks or nature walks in my hometown as much as I have come across in the new city. 

During the last few months, I have explored multiple gardens in the city along with beaches like Puri Beach, Konark Beach and the retreating sea beach in Balasore, which I will be writing about in another post. This post is especially for the one exclusive urban forest that not only helps one keep fit but also promotes reading books for its visitors. I have been to other gardens with free open gyms and yoga and meditation centres. But this one is stretched across 90 acres and boasts a variety of flora and fauna with serene water bodies and a beautiful park bridge that connects either side of the urban forest. 

The garden is open only on weekends and closes very early in the evening, by 6 pm. While planning my visit to the garden, I carried a few books with me that I would read while my husband would walk around. But little did I know that the garden came with its own books. There were cute little free library boxes installed throughout the garden, with a few fantastic titles, including classics, literary fiction, comics and children's books. 

I was so elated to find more readers in the park than I had imagined there would be because it always feels odd being the only one with a book in public. People were reading everywhere in the park from the boxes and dutifully put them back before leaving. Some even deposited their read books in there for others to pick. The sight of people of all ages scattered across the lawn with their faces in the books was a sight to behold. The best of all was a young mother next to me trying to make her toddler read from a Tinkle comic which reminded me of home again.

I, being me, picked up my book from what I had packed, read a few chapters and left the place quietly because leaving unfinished books would eat me alive. But I would be going back to this place just for the reaffirmation that reading isn't dying anytime soon. It takes a village to raise a child, they said. How true! It can be a village or just a garden with free books to read while you visit. So next time when you visit Bhubaneswar, don't forget to visit this serene and soulful urban forest.

Location: Anandabana urban forest, Bhubaneswar

This post is a part of #Blogchatterhalfmarathon

#penbooksandscalpel