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UNDERGROUND BOOKHOUSE
will house, CHOTA LIBRARY ’s headquarters,
and BOMBAY ZINE LIBRARY,
and CHOTA GALLERY,
all under one roof
BOMBAY ZINE LIBRARY
Zine libraries have always been a place to learn something new, get inspired, discuss, interact, meet friends, connect with local makers and get involved with various forms of accessible media. They bring together people who are interested and involved in making zines and DIY publishing, sharing ideas and stories. It’s an amazing way to get a conversation started, and make something big happen in our community.
The heart of the act of zine-making, is to be rooted in physical interaction between zinester, zine, and the reader. The experience of handling zines in person, turning each page to reveal intimate secrets, funny comics, and poetry, can’t be duplicated on-line. You would get the content, but miss out on the physical experience.
Self-published ephemera like zines, handbills, and independent newspapers can provide a glimpse into a part of history that includes the voices of marginalized individuals and groups which would otherwise be lost were they not collected. Since before alternative publications are a natural and important tool for preserving free speech.
Part of the space will also be dedicated to children’s books, head-quarters of CHOTA LIBRARY, community lending library, absolutely free for kids from economically and socially marginalized neighbourhoods, most kids here lack books in their homes nor do they have access to books elsewhere, for many families, taking care of basic needs will always win over buying books
And CHOTA GALLERY, a children’s art gallery, a place where the general public can come and see children’s art, and think about it and talk about it. We believe children have a lot to offer us as a society if we just give them the opportunity to express their thoughts, their feelings, their aspirations, their worries, if we just give them that opportunity, then we actually as a society will be better off forward.
Our library will also be one of the very few in the world that will actively engage users as content creators, every month we will make collaborative zines/ publications from the collective works of our members
We believe access to knowledge is essential in the process of social mobility. For us libraries are more than just books, they are about growing stronger connections within a neighbourhood.
Also all the resources generated through the community built here will be put back into helping run DHARAVI ART ROOM
Whence you support an independent bookspace, no matter where you are, you are supporting learning, growth, diversity and inclusion.
This is what we require to keep the space running for a year, (in order of priority)
INR 4,80,000 towards space rent and maintenance costs, for the first year
INR 1,50,000 initial infrastructure (shifting, legal expenses, brokerage, water-proofing, painting, book-shelves, water-filter, mattresses, and more)
INR 60,000 repairs to the space and other surprise expenses
INR 1,80,000 (INR 15,000 x 12 months) salary to space attendant, for the first year
INR 1,20,000 towards inventory - We are clearly not asking for the full amount of the cost of inventory. For this reason, it is extremely important that you give as much as you can and share our story with others so that hopefully we can go above and beyond our goal.
INR 1,80,000 for workshops and printing and distribution of the first 12 children’s publications from our publishing unit at the CHOTA LIBRARY
INR 30,000 fund-raising expenses (payments gateway’s fees, service taxes, conversion charges)
will house, CHOTA LIBRARY ’s headquarters,
and BOMBAY ZINE LIBRARY,
and CHOTA GALLERY,
all under one roof
BOMBAY ZINE LIBRARY
Zine libraries have always been a place to learn something new, get inspired, discuss, interact, meet friends, connect with local makers and get involved with various forms of accessible media. They bring together people who are interested and involved in making zines and DIY publishing, sharing ideas and stories. It’s an amazing way to get a conversation started, and make something big happen in our community.
The heart of the act of zine-making, is to be rooted in physical interaction between zinester, zine, and the reader. The experience of handling zines in person, turning each page to reveal intimate secrets, funny comics, and poetry, can’t be duplicated on-line. You would get the content, but miss out on the physical experience.
Self-published ephemera like zines, handbills, and independent newspapers can provide a glimpse into a part of history that includes the voices of marginalized individuals and groups which would otherwise be lost were they not collected. Since before alternative publications are a natural and important tool for preserving free speech.
Part of the space will also be dedicated to children’s books, head-quarters of CHOTA LIBRARY, community lending library, absolutely free for kids from economically and socially marginalized neighbourhoods, most kids here lack books in their homes nor do they have access to books elsewhere, for many families, taking care of basic needs will always win over buying books
And CHOTA GALLERY, a children’s art gallery, a place where the general public can come and see children’s art, and think about it and talk about it. We believe children have a lot to offer us as a society if we just give them the opportunity to express their thoughts, their feelings, their aspirations, their worries, if we just give them that opportunity, then we actually as a society will be better off forward.
Our library will also be one of the very few in the world that will actively engage users as content creators, every month we will make collaborative zines/ publications from the collective works of our members
We believe access to knowledge is essential in the process of social mobility. For us libraries are more than just books, they are about growing stronger connections within a neighbourhood.
Also all the resources generated through the community built here will be put back into helping run DHARAVI ART ROOM
Whence you support an independent bookspace, no matter where you are, you are supporting learning, growth, diversity and inclusion.
This is what we require to keep the space running for a year, (in order of priority)
INR 4,80,000 towards space rent and maintenance costs, for the first year
INR 1,50,000 initial infrastructure (shifting, legal expenses, brokerage, water-proofing, painting, book-shelves, water-filter, mattresses, and more)
INR 60,000 repairs to the space and other surprise expenses
INR 1,80,000 (INR 15,000 x 12 months) salary to space attendant, for the first year
INR 1,20,000 towards inventory - We are clearly not asking for the full amount of the cost of inventory. For this reason, it is extremely important that you give as much as you can and share our story with others so that hopefully we can go above and beyond our goal.
INR 1,80,000 for workshops and printing and distribution of the first 12 children’s publications from our publishing unit at the CHOTA LIBRARY
INR 30,000 fund-raising expenses (payments gateway’s fees, service taxes, conversion charges)
In all, we require INR 12,00,000 for the whole year
Also
* if you are a zine-maker/ zines-distributor/ zines-collector and would like to send us some zines
* if you have books to give away or know of someone who might * if you could connect us to other zine-makers and distros * if you would like to host a zines pop-up/exhibition/booksale, * also please suggest your favourite, already existing friendly venues in other cities for zines pop-ups/exhibitions/booksales
* if you are a zine-maker/ zines-distributor/ zines-collector and would like to send us some zines
* if you have books to give away or know of someone who might * if you could connect us to other zine-makers and distros * if you would like to host a zines pop-up/exhibition/booksale, * also please suggest your favourite, already existing friendly venues in other cities for zines pop-ups/exhibitions/booksales
For more about us,
We are ‘bombay underground’ and ‘dharavi art room’ on Facebook and Instagram, now also as ‘bombay zine library’ on instagram
We are ‘bombay underground’ and ‘dharavi art room’ on Facebook and Instagram, now also as ‘bombay zine library’ on instagram
In this age of tech, social media, and instant access to anything and everything, a space like this will help slow us down in a good way
