Muskan Ahirwar (born 2006 or 2007) is an Indian educator and librarian from Bhopal, India.[1][2] In 2016, when she was 9 years old, she created a community library for children in the worker's colony where she lives, named Kitabi Masti ("fun with books") in Hindi. The library has since moved to a dedicated space and has been expanded to over 3,000 books.[3][4][5] She has been given several awards for her work including by NITI Aayog, Hyderabad Literature Festival, and the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.[6][7]
Muskan Ahirwar | |
|---|---|
 Muskan in 2023 | |
| Born | 2006 or 2007 (age 17–18) |
| Occupation(s) | Educator and librarian |
Kitabi Masti
The library, Kitabi Masti ("fun with books"), is built in the common space of Durganagar worker's colony in Arera Hills of Bhopal where Muskan lives.[8][9] She started the library on 26 January 2016 with her sister Neha to serve the children who live in the area.[10][11][12] The library began with 25 books hung on a string outside her house.[13][14][15] "I was nine years old when I started this library ... I had collected some books which I displayed outside my house by hanging them on a rope. The colourful images fascinated the children in the locality. They started visiting my house regularly to read the books. This is how my interest in books started to grow."[5]
In 2017, Muskan was awarded a grant by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to fund development of the library.[14] The library has since moved to a dedicated space which has been renovated using waste materials by architecture students from the National Association of Students of Architecture.[5][16] The library has been expanded to over 3,000 books through contributions of books from places in India as well as the United States, South Africa, and other countries.[5][6]
Awards
Muskan has been recognised with several awards for her work and has also been commended by Madhya Pradesh UNICEF Field Office Chief, Michael Juma.[17]
- 2016: Women Transforming Award by NITI Aayog for her work[17][18]
- 2016: Thought Leader award by NITI Ayog in New Delhi[19]
- 2018: Princess Diana Award, Sushiksha Awards[16]
- 2019: Food4Thought Foundation's Indian Reading Olympiad, category "I am bond" under 18, award[20]
- 2019: India Reading Olympiad, Hyderabad Literature Festival[7]
- 2020: Devi Awards Indore countdown series[16]
- 2023: Children's Champion Award by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights[6]
- 2023: Vivekanand State Youth Award[citation needed]