Transported 4000km by train in six travel-scuffed kangaroo-leather suitcases that fold out to create a pop-up reading room, The Bookwallah travelling library and its writers have returned from their journey around India.
Last year Asialink Arts’ roving international writers festival, The Bookwallah, took five writers across India and Australia by train to offload books in cities along the way. According to Matt Millikan from Artshub Australia, 1000 Australian books were donated to universities and local libraries including the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Mumbai and Platform 9 of the Chennai Central Railway Station. Now they’re back and re-stocked with some of the best writing from these two countries and thier own collection of writing around conversations held in train carriages and personal experience.
The self-contained library has just arrived in Melbourne at the State Library of Victoria with travelling authors Annie Zaidi and Chandrahas Choudhury from India and Benjamin Law and Kirsty Murray from Australia.
The Bookwallah aims to engage in cultural exchange through storytelling and will continue it’s pilgrimage across train lines to the Melbourne Writers Festival before heading north to the University of Western Sydney and the Brisbane Writers Festival.
Federation Square will present a film screening of the travelling library’s journey through India and Australia every Monday night in August at 6.30pm.
Asialink has also opened applications for its 2014 Residency Program to create meaningful and enduring relationships between individuals and organisations in Australia and Asia. Those interested can apply here.
- Lauren Della Marta
