Amnesty International (AI) Nepal and Amnesty International Nepal-affiliated Group 18, Kathmandu, jointly donated 182 books on various themes to Nepal’s Central Jail library at Sundhara on Wednesday.

AI Nepal Chairperson Bikram Dhukuchhu handed over the books and publications to the Jailer, Bednidhi Adhikari.

“People in jail have free times, and as the adage goes ‘an empty mind is the devil’s workshop’, it will be useful if they are occupied with something meaningful. Reading breeds creative thoughts and engages readers to the world of intellect, harboring critical and creative thinking,” said Nutan Thapaliya, Amnesty Nepal’s founder. As per information given on the occasion, the book donation program was an initiative of Thapaliya. 

“As reading brings solace to the mind of readers and is also a means to learn, grow and be cultured, this is one of the new and effective initiatives that AI Nepal has ever organized,” he added.

The books, mostly in  Nepali language, were related to literature, history, culture, politics, religion, sociology, law, human rights, and travel.  Likewise, the collection also comprises of research reports and publications on human rights.

“We currently have about 3,000 books on different languages including Nepali, Hindi and English. The additional number of donated books would prove fruitful for the intellectual growth of readers inside the jail premises,” said librarian Anup Shrestha. 

“As inmates highly prefer reading fictions and informative books on the country’s laws and politics, the donated books would be helpful to broaden their understanding on various topics. As reading is an effective medium to self-educating, we highly encourage and appreciate book donations from many other different sources,” added Shrestha.