Turning Pages, Changing Lives

On November 16, 2025, Mukul Gupta was the proud recipient of Nexus of Good Annual Award from Mr BK Chaturvedi, former Cabinet Secretary, Government of India, at a glittering function at PHD House, New Delhi. He was awarded for an initiative that is not merely scalable but replicable in the true spirit of Nexus of Good.

Across India, countless students dream of learning and growing, but for many, the simple act of getting the right book remains a struggle. On the other hand, millions of households have shelves full of unused books — often forgotten, gathering dust. Somewhere between these two realities lies a remarkable story of innovation and compassion — the story of MyPustak.com, a platform that connects generosity with need, and turns books into bridges of opportunity.

An Idea Born Out of Compassion

MyPustak began with a powerful thought — that no one should be deprived of education because of financial constraints. The founders observed that while books were abundant in many homes, access to them was limited for those who needed them most.

They envisioned a platform where anyone could donate old books, and those books could reach readers across India who could not afford them. What started as a small initiative has today grown into a large-scale movement spanning 17,000+ pincodes and delivering books across 29,000+ locations in India.

Through its model of collecting, repairing, and redistributing books, MyPustak has built one of the largest reuse-based ecosystems for learning resources in the country.

Sustainability Meets Accessibility

The strength of MyPustak lies in its ability to merge purpose with practicality. Every donated book is processed with care — sorted, cleaned, repaired, and listed on the platform. Users can then order these books at a nominal cost to cover delivery and allied expenditures on the books and get them delivered at their doorstep.

This simple mechanism achieves three critical outcomes:

* Environmental impact — reducing waste and promoting reuse.

* Educational equity — ensuring access to reading materials for students in need.

* Cultural shift — nurturing a habit of sharing knowledge.

In doing so, MyPustak has demonstrated that social good and sustainability can co-exist within a scalable operational model.

Expanding the Vision: Used and New Books Together

While the initial mission centered around used books, the platform soon identified another gap — many readers wanted new books for competitive exams, latest editions, or newly published titles. To serve these needs, MyPustak evolved into a dual model that now hosts both used donated books and brand-new books from publishers and sellers.

What makes this expansion remarkable is its structure — MyPustak offers a zero-commission drop-shipping platform for publishers and sellers, allowing them to reach a wider audience while keeping prices affordable.

This approach has made MyPustak a complete ecosystem for books — where donors, readers, sellers, and publishers come together on one common platform.

Technology as the Enabler

Behind this humanitarian mission lies a robust technological foundation. MyPustak’s platform automates everything from book inventory management to logistics tracking, ensuring transparency and efficiency at every stage.

Through its partnerships with logistics networks, it has made doorstep pickups and nationwide deliveries possible — even in remote regions where few online companies operate effectively.

This seamless integration of technology and purpose has made MyPustak not only a social enterprise but also a case study in scalable social innovation.

Real Impact on the Ground

Every book distributed through MyPustak carries a personal story.

* A student in rural Bihar is preparing for an entrance exam with a donated textbook.

* A young reader in Assam is discovering literature through books received from strangers.

* A retired teacher in Chennai is donating hundreds of books from his home library.

Each of these small acts forms part of a much larger chain of goodwill — connecting people across India through the power of books.

Recognition and the Nexus of Good Award

In recognition of its outstanding work in democratizing access to education, MyPustak was selected as a winner of the Nexus of Good Award 2025 in the Education category.

The award acknowledges not only MyPustak’s impact but also its replicable model — one that blends social empathy with technology-driven efficiency.

By making book access affordable and sustainable, MyPustak has demonstrated how a good idea, when implemented with persistence and vision, can create real social transformation.

A Model Worth Emulating

MyPustak’s model has several unique features that make it worthy of replication:

* Self-sustainability: It operates without heavy dependence on external funding, balancing social impact with business viability.

* Inclusivity: It serves all segments — donors, suppliers, and readers — creating shared value across the chain.

* Scalability: With its tech-driven logistics and nationwide reach, it can expand organically to serve millions more.

Most importantly, MyPustak has shown that even in the digital age, the simplest ideas — built around compassion — can still be the most powerful.

The Road Ahead

As MyPustak continues to grow, it aims to deepen its presence across the country and inspire similar models in other sectors of social need. The goal is not just to distribute books, but to build a culture where knowledge flows freely and learning never stops.

Its dual model of “used donated books” and “new books” ensures that every reader, regardless of background, can find what they need — making MyPustak not just a platform, but a movement for educational inclusion.

MyPustak represents what the Nexus of Good stands for — individuals identifying a social challenge and building a practical, scalable solution around it. It is a living example of how kindness, innovation, and commitment can combine to create lasting social change.

Through its work, MyPustak has turned the act of giving a book into an act of building a better, more informed nation. The model put in place by Mukul and his wonderful team is both replicable and scalable in the true spirit of Nexus of Good.

Views expressed are personal. The writer is an author and a former civil servant