Three unusual but promising libraries across downtown

The library is fast losing relevance in the age of Kindles and e-reader apps on smart phones, if it isn't for real books being sold at throwaway prices at sales and by online retailers. "The only thing you absolutely have to know is the location of the library," said Albert Einstein and this is what dna went about doing, identifying promising and unusual libraries in downtown and their locations.

Everyone has hordes of books that they don't read and what better way to encourage reading than to give them away to India's first crowdsourced library started by Pushpendra Pandya. The library collects books from donors and shares with anyone who enjoys reading. "Books from the people, for the people," as Pandya puts it across. He adds, "The intent is to save the real book reading experience that is slowly getting affected by e-books, storage issues and availability of massive digital portals."
Pandya says, "We have had an amazing response since we started it in October 2013 and till date, we keep getting calls appreciating the idea of the library and asking me to offer help with books. Even the Limca Book of Records has noticed us, so there's definitely a great impact about this concept in India." The best thing about the library is that you call for the books and they arrive at your doorstep.
Get in touch with Pandya by tweeting to @peculiarblend.

For someone who wishes to settle into a quiet corner to bond with their favourite book over a cup of coffee, look no further than Trilogy located in the hustle and bustle of the gourmet and fashion hub of Lower Parel.

This library is not easy to find because there are no signs leading to it but like they say, a book lover can smell a good book or a library even from a distance. Loviena Patrao, who noticed this library at Raghuvanshi Mills, says, "The space is beautiful. The books are carefully selected and the owner is quite amicable."
This splendid library with wooden flooring and wooden chairs is situated inside a restored mill that is home to décor stores and fancy restaurants. Finding a library in a place like this is quite odd and makes you question about its survival.
The brainchild of wildlife photographer Meethil Momaya, 34, and an independent book editor Ahalya Naidu, 32, Trilogy was launched in 2013 and is now looking to metamorphose into a library with a store and possibly an event space. The 2,100 sqft space still has empty shelves, which Momaya plans to fill up post her trip to the Delhi book fair. Naidu, who runs the space, says, "We plan to have book readings and launches and give the space for events too." This is how the library plans to sustain itself in a hub that is high on fashion and food. Get in touch with Trilogy by tweeting to @teltrilogy.

Help Education Library for People (HELP) or most commonly known as Health Library is a unique library that is not only free but also aims at keeping you fit. Dr. Neha Sanwalkha, who visits this library often, says, "It was initially based at Om Chambers, Mahalaxmi, but was moved to a new location at Tardeo in 2013. It is one of the best places to visit if you are looking for reading material on health, nutrition and exercise."
The library has decent sitting space and allows one to take notes and even photocopy sections of books, if required. The library was started 11 years back as a resource centre by Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani. Today, it has has grown into India's largest and only patient education centre, housing more than 11,000 authentic books on possibly every subject related to health and diseases, along with pamphlets, health care magazines and an exhaustive audio-visual section. It also organises workshops and talks on health, nutrition, exercise and alternative therapies. HELP has been documented as the world's largest free library on consumer health information in the Limca Book of Records.
Get in touch with HELP at http://www.healthlibrary.com/.