Featured image source: X (Bakul Foundation)

At Bhubaneswar airport, between the clatter of trolley wheels and the echo of boarding calls, something unexpected catches the eye. Two open bookshelves, stacked with novels, magazines, and children’s tales, sit without counters or attendants. There are no price tags, no barcodes — just an invitation to take a book, read it, and return it whenever you can.

This is Odisha’s very own Flybrary. A space created for travellers to slow down, breathe, and lose themselves in a story while the world outside hurries on.

How it all began

The idea came from a simple observation: airports have everything — lounges, cafés, shops — but nothing that connects strangers in a personal way. The ‘Bakul Foundation’, a Bhubaneswar-based volunteer collective, decided to change that. If there’s space for another billboard, why not a place for books? Why not a gesture that says, “Here’s something for you — just because we believe stories matter”?

So, in February 2025,........

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