mbedded within the busy Zanjani Road in Gulberg, with cars raging, horns beeping, and concrete sprawling in all directions, there’s a little oasis called the Book Bus. A project of the Alif Laila Book Bus Society (ALBBS), the bus has been around for many years. It continues to grab public attention even today.

A little stone path, guided by rows of plantations on either side, leads into this little heaven. As I stride upon this track, two structures greet my eye. On the left is a circular structure containing the greater part of the ALBBS. My destination, however, lies on the other side — a deep, rich red painted bus; or more accurately, a library built in the shape of a double decker bus, complete with wheels and windows.

One side of the bus peeks out from with a few trees, littered with names of countless pieces of literature designed for young minds. There are titles in both English and Urdu. Around the exterior of the book bus there are roughly drawn clouds and waves, crescent moon and stars, and a mix of blue in red. The vibrant colours that envelop the bus are an embodiment of joy. I cannot help but imagine a child following this very path, taking in this beautiful scene. I can almost feel their excitement, running to and from this Book Bus, reporting to their elders and peers every bit of detail that would catch their eye. I move further.

The door of the bus stands before me. It is locked. A librarian rushes over with the keys, turns on the lights and beckons me in.

The Book Bus has an air of positivity about it. It’s a place for children, who are starting to read and write; it’s their introduction to the world of alphabets, numbers and stories. Close to the door is the driver’s seat, separated by a small wooden door, except that the seat is quite small and has a stuffed monkey perched on top looking the wrong way.

There are loads of books, series of books; books catalogued according to age,language, and content. There are a couple of chairs, here and there, but mainly there are cushions, and pillows here and there, and stuffed animals; an entire zoo of them at that. 

To my right, is, basically, a lot to take in at the first glance. There are loads of books, series of books; books catalogued according to age, language, and content. An array of multicoloured bookshelves occupies the parameters of the bus. There are a couple of chairs, here and there, but mainly there are cushions, and pillows here and there, and stuffed animals; an entire zoo of them at that.

There is an alleyway of sorts running down in the middle. I let it lead me to the back. There are stairs. It’s a double decker after all. The stairs are low, the upper floor lower. I have to crouch. The stairs turn and I meet another little wooden door, opening into another little wonderland. Here I find fewer books, but the cushions are bigger, and there are a lot more of them. There are a couple of stuffed animals here as well. On my left is a Teddy Bear, almost my size.

The Alif Laila Book Bus Society was set up in 1978 by Dr Juanita Baker, an American who was based in Pakistan at the time. It offered membership for a token fee of Rs 10 per annum. Its mission was to focus on children with no access or exposure to books.

The society claims to have made interactive learning aids for early childhood education, and served “over 3 million” children till date. Its hobby clubs are said to be “one-of-a-kind resource centre” which engage young girls and guides them in their prospective careers in the fields of arts, crafts and computers.

It also has an online book shop. But the bus is decidedly ALBBS’s most unique feature.

Sadly, it looks like the bus is seldom visited — everything is orderly placed, and there is not a single human to be seen. I can feel the affection put into this bus, but where are the “passengers”? Or, the readers? Fixated at computer screens, maybe; playing games and jabbing their fingers at touch screens before they learn to even crawl. I truly feel that is tragic. Such an excellent environment has been provided for children’s grooming, but it appears to have fallen into disuse.

The writer is a student based in Lahore who aspires to be a physicist. He can be reached at huzaifaaltamash123   @gmail.com