The struggle for study spaces in Indian cities

Uday Kumar, an IAS aspirant living in Old Rajendra Nagar, Delhi, is despondent. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) crackdown on illegally operated basement libraries, following the tragic death of three civil services aspirants last month, has led to the closure of many libraries, leaving him without a place to study. Now, Kumar and hundreds of others like him are desperately scrambling for alternatives.
Now Kumar, and hundreds like him, are scrambling for alternatives.
“The library where I studied has shut down. The fees for libraries on the first or second floors have nearly doubled, from ₹3,000 to ₹6,000 per month,” said Kumar. “With the UPSC mains exam next month, many of us have nowhere to study — our rooms are not an option, because of cramped living spaces.”
The tragedy on July 27 also highlighted another matter — the decline of public libraries, and the severe lack of quiet study spaces Delhi, Patna, Pune, Bengaluru, and Chennai — cities where students flock to prepare for competitive exams.
No space to study
The brutal culture of competitive exam in India, with its rising numbers — in 2023, 130,000 aspirants appeared for the UPSC Prelims, while more than 230,000 appeared for NEET-UG in 2024 — drives countless students to these urban centres.
Yet, most cities have failed to invest in or upgrade their libraries, leaving students without adequate study spaces. Only a few exceptions, like Raipur and Dehradun, have recently built new libraries to address this crucial need.
No wonder then, over the past decade, private reading rooms—cramped cubicle spaces resembling the internet cafés of old — have proliferated, especially in areas like Old Rajendra Nagar, Patel Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, and Mukherjee Nagar in Delhi; Bhikhna Pahadi in Patna; and Chennai’s Anna Nagar.
These spaces, often operating 24×7, brand themselves as libraries but typically are little more than reading rooms — offering cubicles for students to study in peace, with free WiFi and an air-conditioned environment.
“With the growing emphasis on competitive exams, it’s ironic that aspirants struggle to find such spaces in the Capital, which has many public libraries,” said PB Mangla, the former head of Delhi University’s library sciences department.
Mangla, who has also been a member of the Working Group on Libraries of the National Knowledge Commission, the Board of Management at the National Library in Kolkata, and the Delhi Public Library Board, suggested that the Delhi Public Library (DPL) — which has several branches across the Capital — should designate rooms for civil services aspirants. “For instance, DPL’s Patel Nagar branch, near Old Rajender Nagar, is spacious enough to accommodate this need,” he said.
Ajit Kumar, director general of DPL, said, “As a public library, we cannot create separate rooms for any specific reader group, as it would be partiality. However, many of our libraries, such as those in Sarojini Nagar, Patel Nagar, and Ashok Nagar, are extensively used by UPSC aspirants. We even organise interactions with IAS officers to guide them. The only issue is that we close by 6 pm, which may not suit those preparing for civil services exams.”
Need for multi-purpose community spaces
According to the 2011 Census, there were only 4,580 libraries in urban areas, serving over 370 million people. Although included in the Census for the first time in 2011, there was no precise information on their condition and services.
Mangla emphasised the need for cities to invest in libraries, pointing out that the US spends $35.96 per capita annually on public libraries, while in India, it’s just 7 paisa.
Architects and urban planners agree, calling for the need to better integrate study spaces into urban planning and utilise existing public buildings for the same.
Urban designer Akash Hingorani suggested that Delhi’s underutilised spaces, such as MCD’s community centres, could have dedicated reading rooms. “Cities need community centres offering flexible spaces for study, collaboration, and educational activities. Parks could also have quiet zones with WiFi and seating to create comfortable study areas,” he said.
MCD manages 296 community centres, 94 senior citizen recreation centres, 52 gyms, 15 swimming pools, five sports complexes, and one working women’s hostel. However, many of these community centres are underutilised, with extremely low booking rates—only 8-20 bookings per year. The civic agency has, over the years, discussed schemes to transform community centres into socio-cultural hubs rather than just wedding venues. Last year, mayor Shelly Oberoi announced maintenance work for 169 centres.
Oberoi did not respond to the HT’s written query on the progress of the work or the possibility of including reading rooms in the community centres.
Saurabh Gupta, a partner at VGA Architects, advocated for the better utilisation and repurposing of existing public infrastructure. “Given the high pressure on land in big cities, public buildings should be multifunctional to serve the community in various ways. For instance, school and college libraries could be opened to outside students after hours,” he said, highlighting how schools in the US serve as community hubs beyond school hours, and their libraries provide resources such as books, computers, and internet access to locals.
When the community makes a difference
Some community-level initiatives in the NCR offer hope. Last year, the RWA in Sector Delta-2, Greater Noida, transformed an underutilised hall at its community centre into a library with seating for 40 students. It was inaugurated by former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev.
“The hall was mostly locked, used only during occasional events such as marriages. We turned it into a library after realising that many students, especially those preparing for competitive exams, lacked a conducive study environment at home. Now, the library is packed throughout the day,” said Ajab Singh, the RWA president.
This initiative was inspired by Gram Pathshala, a people-led movement that has established 1,600 air-conditioned libraries—essentially reading rooms—in villages across NCR and neighbouring UP districts. These libraries, mostly set up in panchayat buildings, demonstrate how urban local bodies (ULBs) can utilise existing infrastructure to create multi-purpose community spaces.
The Gram Pathshala movement began in 2020 when students in Ganauli village, Ghaziabad, approached Lal Bahar, an inspector with the National Human Rights Commission, about the lack of study spaces. “We discussed it with the villagers, who decided to set up a library. Soon, other villages followed suit. Today, villagers contribute between ₹100 to ₹20,000 to set up these libraries, and we provide encouragement and advice,” said Bahar.
The results have been remarkable. “Previously, students would travel to Delhi for better study facilities, but now many are successfully cracking exams like JEE (Mains) from their villages,” Bahar said.
Setting an example
Raipur has set a notable example in addressing the need for study spaces by investing ₹15.21 crore in the Nalanda Parisar Oxy Reading Zone Library, built under the Smart City Mission. Situated on a 6-acre campus, this facility features a three-story library with more than 100,000 books, a computer room with 200 computers, a printing facility, cafeterias, a bookstall, a stationery outlet, a medical store, a sports goods shop, a restaurant, a bank, an ATM, and a biodiversity garden with 18 interactive zones.
“It is a 24×7 air-conditioned facility built to provide affordable, world-class library services to students who come to the city from across the state for coaching for competitive exams,” said Abinash Mishra, managing director of Raipur Smart City. “Many members are women who feel safe due to round-the-clock security at these facilities.”
The library has over 2,550 members — primarily students preparing for competitive exams. Currently, it has six-month waiting period for aspiring members. “We regularly organise seminars and workshops to support students,” said head librarian Manjula Jain.
The library charges a fee of ₹500 per month. “Now, students from cities like Delhi and Pune come to Raipur just to study in our library because it offers an affordable, well-equipped reading space,” said Jain.
In March, Raipur got second major reading facility —Takshashila Smart Reading Room in the city’s Moti Bagh — also built under the Raipur Smart City Mission, which accommodates 600 students.
“We are planning to build two more library-cum-co-working spaces to serve both students and budding entrepreneurs,” Mishra said.
Vaishali Mangalvedhekar, a partner at SJK Architects, agreed with the magisterial probe’s decision, and argued that coaching centres should adhere to the same rules and regulations that govern academic buildings. “There is no reason why coaching centres should operate out of commercial buildings in congested areas. They should be treated like any other educational institutions—schools, colleges, and universities—and required to follow similar regulations and design frameworks,” she said.