Sattari resident goes from pouring pegs of liquor to poring over books

Panaji: Nearly three decades after his grandfather opened a bar in a remote village of Vantem in Sattari taluka of Goa, 36-year-old Nitin Shivdekar has decided to trade bottles for books. Home to 2,000-odd people, the village boasts of at least a dozen bars, but has no library.
So, three years ago when the licence was transferred to his name, Shivdekar took an unprecedented step and ended the legacy by shutting down the bar.
The reason: “Instead of giving people liquor, I thought to myself, why not provide them with the facility of a library. I don’t find it right to earn money by destroying somebody else’s family.”
“I want to make my village free of any addictions, many are hooked on to alcohol and gambling. This is just a small start,” Shivdekar told TOI.
So, Shivdekar disposed of the bottles, removed all traces of a bar, and lined up the shelves with books.
“I’ve also seen young men dying due to liquor addiction leaving their families in distress,” he said.
Three years after he took on the mission to turn his bar into a library, the Navchetana Pragati Manch Library was inaugurated on August 14 and has a collection of nearly 1,500 books, including those of competitive examinations.
The library will not only benefit Vantem villagers but also those from the neighbouring villages of Panshe and Shingne. There are three primary schools in the village that stand to gain from this change.
“The main idea behind starting a library was to help children who are financially backward. If they want to crack any competitive exams, they can always come here and use these books,” Shivdekar said.
“It took me almost three years to kickstart the process and set up the library,” he said.
“As the state government does not provide any assistance to individuals to set up a library, I approached the government through our club and received grants for it. The art and culture department has granted Rs 1 lakh to set up this library. I employ two people at the library,” said Shivdekar, who was also a former sarpanch of Bhironda village.