Report on Reading Inspiration Day - 2025

 

The Learning and Information Resource Centre of St. Francis Institute of Technology celebrated Reading Inspiration Day on 15th October 2025 in remembrance of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, our beloved former President and visionary scientist, fondly known as The Missile Man of India. The event aimed to honor Dr. Kalam’s inspiring legacy by spreading the light of knowledge and the joy of reading among students and faculty members.

Overview of Activities

The celebration was organized over four days, featuring a variety of engaging and educational activities designed to promote reading habits and creativity:

In-House Book Exhibition (13th October 2025): The event commenced with an exhibition showcasing a diverse collection of books available in  English and Marathi languages. Students were encouraged to explore new titles and genres, fostering curiosity and a love for reading.

Digital Library Treasure Hunt (14th October 2025): Participants enthusiastically took part in an interactive treasure hunt within the digital library system, aimed at creating an awareness on the seamless access to a treasure trove of information on e books, e journals from Knimbus M Library portal and a plethora of books in Indian languages from AICTE E KUMBH.

Best Library User Award (2024–2025) (15th October 2025): To recognize dedication and consistent engagement with library resources, the “Best Library User Award” was presented to the most active readers of the academic year 2024-2025. Congratulations to Dr. Sunil R. Pansare (HOD, Department of Mechanical Engineering), Mohsin Dalvi (Department of Mechanical Engineering), Varsha Thandasarry (Department of Electrical Engineering), Dhammapal Gaikwad (Department of Mechanical Engineering), Owais Shaikh, Student at Department of Information Technology at SFIT, RAJAN Zagade Student at Department of Electrical Engineering), Om Kate, Student at Department of Electronics and Telecommunications.

Old Book Sale (16th October 2025): The celebration concluded with a sale of old books at nominal prices, encouraging participants to take home books and continue nurturing the joy of reading.

The celebration of Reading Inspiration Day successfully honored Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam’s vision of a knowledgeable and enlightened society. The series of activities encouraged students to read, learn, and lead towards a brighter tomorrow. The event not only paid tribute to a great leader but also reinforced the institute’s commitment to promoting lifelong learning and intellectual growth among its members.

Books. Brains. Brilliance – Honouring SFIT’s Best Library Users on Reading Inspiration Day

Every once in a while, a reader is born who doesn’t just flip pages—they build bridges to new worlds, new ideas, and new dreams. At St. Francis Institute Of Technology (SFIT), we believe in celebrating these readers.hashtag

On October 15, 2025, celebrated as hashtag#ReadingInspirationDay in hashtag#Maharashtra, we honoured the hashtag#BestLibraryUsers of the Academic Year 2024–2025—readers whose love for books lit up our library, minds, and campus corridors.
Congratulations to Dr. Sunil R. Pansare (HOD, Department of Mechanical Engineering), Mohsin Dalvi (Department of Mechanical Engineering), Varsha Thandasarry (Department of Electrical Engineering), Dhammapal Gaikwad (Department of Mechanical Engineering), Owais Shaikh, Student at Department of Information Technology at SFIT, RAJAN Zagade Student at Department of Electrical Engineering), Om Kate, Student at Department of Electronics and Telecommunications

Why October 15?
It’s no ordinary day—it’s the birth anniversary of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the Missile Man of India, a scientist, a visionary, and above all—a passionate advocate of reading. He once said, “Learning gives creativity, creativity leads to thinking, thinking provides knowledge, and knowledge makes you great.”

Adding to this legacy, our own Director, Bro. Shantilal Kujur, is a voracious reader himself, regularly visiting book exhibitions to discover new ideas and inspire our students. His passion fuels the culture of reading at our Institute and reminds us all that leaders are readers.

🏆 Awarded by our Director, these library members stood out for:

• Deep and consistent reading habits (beyond just exam prep!)
• Borrowing and exploring diverse books—fiction, non-fiction, journals, research papers
• Sharing recommendations, participating in activities, and inspiring others

📖 Why Reading Still Rules

• It stimulates your brain like no screen can
• It nurtures focus, creativity, and empathy
• It aligns beautifully with #NEP2020, which encourages curiosity-driven, learner-led education

💡Inspired by Indian Reading Icons
Let’s not forget homegrown heroes who swear by the power of books:
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam – a daily reader and youth motivator
Sudha Murty – who makes stories feel like warm cups of chai
Amish Tripathi – who redefined mythology for modern readers
Chetan Bhagat – who brought books to every Indian college student’s backpack
Narendra Modi – who champions reading through ‘hashtag#ParikshaPeCharcha’

So here’s to every reader who ever got “lost” in a book—and came out wiser, kinder, and more curious.
📚💫 Keep turning the pages. Because readers today are the leaders tomorrow.

hashtag#ReadingInspirationDay hashtag#SFITLibrary hashtag#ReadToLead hashtag#KalamInspires hashtag#NEP2020 hashtag#SFITReaders hashtag#BookLove

Celebrating Avid Readers: A Report on Reading Inspiration Day 2023 and Our Top Library Users

15 October - a special day to commemorate the birth anniversary of the Missile Man of India - Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. A day to celebrate that reading can take you to faraway places at a single point of time. A day to cherish books, reading and the bond we share with books; no matter in what form they are - Paper or Kindle.

In honour of Reading Inspiration Day which was celebrated on 17th October 2023, we at St. Francis Institute of Technology are delighted to share the names of our most dedicated library users. These individuals embody the spirit of lifelong learning and exemplify the transformational power of reading. Their passion for books extends beyond the walls of our library, inspiring others to embrace the joy of reading and discover the vast world of knowledge it unlocks.

Rightly so, our Learning and Information Resource Centre (Central Library) celebrated this big with great enthusiasm. The Best Library Users of the last Academic Year were appreciated and felicitated at the hands of our Principal - Dr. Sincy George. On this special occasion, we couldn't be more proud to recognize our top library users for their unwavering commitment to reading:

The whole week, infact, had many interesting activities ranging from Take Away of Books, Exhibition of Rare Books, Slogan Writing to Borrowing New Books on the spot.

Best Library Users for the A.Y. 2022-2023 are:

Category: Students

First Place: Shashank Keny, INFT

Second Place: Pranay Dalvi, CMPN

Third Place: Dylan Dsilva, CMPN

Category: Staff

Dr. Vaishali Jadhav, INFT

Reading Inspiration Day 15th October 2022 - Report

Date: 10th October to 13th October 2022

Event: Books Exhibition

425 books donated by gracious persons were displayed. Students, staff and faculty gave a

huge response by participating in this exhibition in large numbers.

Number of Beneficiaries: 107

Number of Books Taken: 327

YouTube Link for the Reading Inspiration Day 2022 Celebration Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IckqkyQMFMM&t=2s

Date: 11th October 2022

Event: Slogan Writing

Number of Participants: 20

Date: 12th October 2022

Event: Launch of New Initiative

A new initiative – “Book Talks by SFITians” was launched. A Google Form will be

circulated with all the faculty members, staff and students in the non-academic period and

they will be asked to record a one minute video clip speaking about their favourite book.

Date: 13th October 2022

Event: New Section in the LIRC

Number of Books Displayed: 137

Number of Books Borrowed: 27

Number of Beneficiaries till 31st October 2022: 9

Date: 15th October 2022

Event: Leisure Reading and Drawing Sessions

In Collaboration with: NSS Cell

Co-ordinators: Mr. Paul Fernandes, Head – NSS Cell

Ms. Chinmayee Bhange, Librarian

Reading is recognized as an art capable of transforming man’s life and his entire society. In an

age when browsing the net, playing with funky handsets and passing nonstop SMSs seem to

be the order of the day, reading a book in a peaceful corner of a library has become an archaic

idea for most people. While technology is slowly taking a steady control over individual lives,

the reading habit is fast vanishing into thin air.

With an objective of reducing this barrier and introducing persons to reading as a leisure, the

sessions were planned for the boys residing in St. Francis Prem Sangh and the House Keeping

Staff of St. Francis.

English, Hindi and Marathi newspapers and books with big fonts were kept as a reference

source.

13 boys from Prem Sangh and 15 persons from house keeping participated in the sessions.

Later, a drawing and painting contest was also conducted for the boys from St. Prem Sangh.

3 winners from each category were selected and appreciated.

Category: Reading Sessions for Prem Sangh Boys

1st Winner -English: Rongbong Phangcho

2nd Winner English: Peter Masih

1st Winner – Hindi: Avinash Gopi

2nd Winner – Hindi: Sandip Rana

Category: Drawing Session

1st Winner: Akash Lakra

2nd Winner: Bankitkupar Lyngdoh

3rd Winner: Rongbong Phangcho

Category: Reading Sessions for House Keeping Persons

1st Winner – English: Poonam

1st Winner – Hindi: Rani

1st Winner – Marathi: Sunita

Reading Inspiration Day 2022: Slogan / Quote Writing

Share your Slogan / favourite quote here - https://forms.gle/5q1k418LWXCa6ExW7

READING INSPIRATION DAY 2021: REPORT

READING INSPIRATION DAY 2021

We salute APJ Abdul Kalam and celebrate his monumental achievements as a Scientist, Scholar and the President of India. We fondly remember his passion for teaching education and for reading. Dr. Kalam truly ignited young minds with the power to think and innovate. Dr. Kalam is not with us today but his thoughts, ideals and vision for India live on forever.

As part of the virtual celebrations, the library conducted the following two events in collaboration with the NDLI Club:

1.      Online Quiz on the Life and Times of Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam

2.      Online Book Review Competition

3.      Book Exhibition for the faculty members of SFIT

                                                    Poster for the Quiz Contest

 Poster for Online Book Review Contest

Book Exhibition: 154 books were kept in the exhibition.

DEPARTMENT	No. OF BOOKS TAKEN	FACULTY MEMBERS
BSH (FE)	17	Ms. Grishalda Dsouza, Ms. Preethi Colaco, Ms. Arti Bhatnagar, Ms. Harshada Jadhav and Mr. Sainath Ghosalkar
INFT	27	Dr. Joanne Gomes, Ms. Mrinmoyee Mukherjee and Ms. Vandana Patil
CMPN	8	Ms. Ankita Karia and Mr. Amanat Pathan
ExTC	6	Ms. Snehal Lopes
MECH	27	Mr. Yunus Dalal, Mr. Magesh Nadar and Mr. Harish Arekar
ELEC	22	Ms. Josna Jose and Ms. Varsha Thandasarry
TOTAL	107

As part of the virtual events, the library launched the following:

Wakelet on Dr. A.P. J. Abdul Kalam - https://wakelet.com/wake/3t6vUJO2hXrmqHe4MRfsF

Padlet: https://padlet.com/sfitlibraryreference/zs4m6k35fys49ulw