Society · Guwahati · since 2011
A library within walking distance, above the flood line.
We run village libraries and a boat library along the Brahmaputra, built on stilts like the bhoral, the granary every Assamese home keeps dry above the water. The librarians are from the village.
- 43 libraries along the Brahmaputra: 41 open, 2 closed for the flood
- Nao Bhoral, the boat library: Every Thursday from Nimatighat, five chars that have no library of their own
- July 2026: 11 libraries on this stretch closed for 3 to 11 weeks; two are still shut
Counted, 2025-26
43
village libraries running (two closed for the flood, reopening in January)
Village libraries · November 2026 · Our list of libraries, on the Libraries page
9,817
readers with a card who borrowed at least once
Village libraries · 2025-26 · Membership registers, checked by our field team Each person counted once.
1,92,300
books issued
Village libraries · 2025-26 · Issue registers of all libraries A book borrowed twice counts twice.
Registered, and checkable All details
- Society registrationSAMPLE/RS/KAM/0000/2011
- PANSAMPLE-PAN-0000Check it
- Income-tax registration, section 332 (formerly 12A / 12AB)SAMPLE-12A-0000000Valid until 31 March 2027
- Donors' deduction, section 354 (formerly 80G)SAMPLE-80G-0000000Valid until 31 March 2027
- CSR-1CSR-SAMPLE-0000
- NGO Darpan IDXX/0000/SAMPLECheck it
- FCRANot registeredWhat this means
What we do
Five programmes, one shelf
Libraries first; everything else keeps them stocked, staffed and open in the flood.
Village libraries
A room of books on stilts in each village, open six afternoons a week, run by a librarian who lives there.
43
village libraries running (two closed for the flood, reopening in January)
November 2026 · Our list of libraries, on the Libraries page
The boat library
A country boat with a tin trunk of books, every Thursday, to five chars too small or too new for a library.
5
chars visited every week
2025-26 · The boat's log
Books in our languages
Picture books written, illustrated and printed in Assamese, Mising and Bodo, and released under an open licence.
64
picture books published, all under CC BY 4.0
2014 to 2026 · Our publications list
Reading camps in the flood season
Six weeks of daily reading in July and August, when schools on the chars close for the flood.
1,140
children who took both the first and the last reading test
July to August 2026 · Camp registers
Training librarians
A year of training for every new village librarian: running a register, reading aloud, choosing books, and child protection.
43
village librarians, all from the village they serve
November 2026 · Staff list
Counted, not estimated
What we can count
Every figure says what was counted, over what period, and where the number comes from. We count people once.
43
village libraries running (two closed for the flood, reopening in January)
Village libraries · November 2026 · Our list of libraries, on the Libraries page
9,817
readers with a card who borrowed at least once
Village libraries · 2025-26 · Membership registers, checked by our field team Each person counted once.
1,92,300
books issued
Village libraries · 2025-26 · Issue registers of all libraries A book borrowed twice counts twice.
54%
of readers with a card are women and girls
Village libraries · 2025-26 · Membership registers
5
chars visited every week
The boat library · 2025-26 · The boat's log
46
Thursday runs made, of 52
The boat library · 2025-26 · The boat's log Six were cancelled for high water.
Stories
Told with consent
Names are changed, faces are never shown, and every story is told with written consent.
The boat library · September 2026
The boat came instead
In July the river took the path to her library. For seven weeks the boat brought the books.
A girl of 14 on a char near Majuli. Name changed.
Reading camps in the flood season · August 2026
Eleven pairs of sandals at the door
The school closed for the flood on the first of July. The reading camp opened on the third.
A librarian in Morigaon district, 31
Training librarians · June 2026
A register in her own hand
She finished school in the village and became its librarian. Now she trains new ones.
A village librarian in Dibrugarh district, 22. Name changed.
The accounts, 2025-26
Into the bhoral, and out of it
A granary is counted in and counted out. These are last year's audited accounts.
Into the bhoral
| Line | ₹ | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grants from Indian foundationsThree foundations; named in the annual report with their permission | 92,40,000 | 47% |
| CSR from companiesTwo companies; see CSR partnerships | 71,50,000 | 36% |
| Donations from people in India1,184 donors; the largest gift ₹2,00,000 | 31,20,000 | 16% |
| Interest on savings | 3,10,000 | 2% |
| Total | 1,98,20,000 | ₹1.98 crore |
Out of the bhoral
| Line | ₹ | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Village librariesLibrarians' honoraria ₹23,22,000; books, lamps, rent and repairs | 68,40,000 | 35% |
| The boat libraryBoat hire, fuel, the crew and two librarians | 18,60,000 | 10% |
| Books in our languagesWriters, illustrators, translators and printing | 34,90,000 | 18% |
| Reading camps in the flood season | 26,40,000 | 14% |
| Training librarians | 14,20,000 | 7% |
| Running the officeAccounts, audit, rent of the Guwahati office, the director's salary in part | 24,30,000 | 13% |
| Raising money | 6,10,000 | 3% |
| Total | 1,92,90,000 | ₹1.93 crore |
2025-26 · Audited accounts, signed 12 September 2026 · Auditor: Sample & Associates, Chartered Accountants (FRN SAMPLE-000000E) · Carried to next year: ₹5.3 lakh
Programme spending is everything except the office and raising money: 84% this year. The office line includes part of the director's salary; the rest of it is in training. Nothing went abroad.
Ways to help
Three ways in
Money keeps libraries open; time keeps them lively; a company grant can open new ones.
Give
By UPI or bank transfer to the society's own account. Keep the transaction ID: it is how we send your receipt.
How to donateGive time
Read aloud, mend books, translate, keep a register. Each role says how long it takes and what checks it needs.
Volunteer rolesFund a library, as a company
CSR-1 registered, with 12A and 80G. Projects with their Schedule VII item, budget and counted outputs.
CSR partnerships
The libraries open again every morning.
Most of them are a room on stilts, a shelf, a register and a librarian who lives next door. That is all it takes, and it is enough.
9,817 readers with a card across our librarys, 2025-26. Membership registers, checked by our field team in April 2026.