‘Aksharappura’ (House of Books) is not your regular library by any standards. The ‘library’ is a small stainless steel box of books mounted on a stand. Installed along the Valiyasala-Kavilkkadavu Road in Thiruvananthapuram, is this “micro library”.
Opened by Valiyasala Brothers Arts and Sports Club, a registered club run by residents in their twenties and thirties staying in and around Valiyasala, the library has no membership fee. When a reader borrows a book, the borrower is required to enter the details of the book, his/her name and phone number in a register kept inside the box. Books should be returned within a fortnight or renewed within that period.
Vishnu G Nair, secretary of the club, says: “The users are supposed to follow the COVID-19 protocol. We have kept a sanitiser and those who stop by to use the library must ensure social distancing and wear masks.”
The concept has been inspired by the Little Free Library movement popular in Western countries and such mini-libraries function in several cities in India. “Thiruvananthapuram is home to a lot of libraries, big and small. However, some people don’t enjoy going to regular libraries on account of the rules regarding membership, timing, fines and the like. Also, there are some good libraries in the city that lie deserted because of mismanagement. Aksharappura has a democratic and transparent arrangement. Our aim is to encourage more people to take up reading and visit libraries,” adds Vishnu.
Although only a few books can be kept in the box, he says that they have tried to include as many genres as possible. “Being an apolitical organisation, we don’t keep any books pertaining to a particular religion or political party,” Vishnu says. In addition to Malayalam, English and Hindi books, they plan to add Tamil books as well.
Newspapers and magazines cannot be taken home and children below 10 years should be accompanied by a parent.
People can contribute new books for the library. “We have noticed that it is the women in the neighbourhood who have started using the library more than the men,” Vishnu says. The club, registered over a year ago, has 28 members. The members take turns to man the library. Vishnu SS is the president of the club and the library committee comprises Vignesh Syam, Arun NC, Vaisakh RK, Jishnu S and Prathul.
They also run a ‘Haritham Valiyasala’ programme under which 51 trees are being planted in a half-kilometre stretch in the area. “Of the 33 saplings planted till now, a few were washed away when the nearby Killiyar river flooded. We are planting fruit and flower-bearing varieties and medicinal plants under the initiative,” Vishnu says.
The library is open on all days from 6 am to 8 pm. Contact: 8129126124
