R. Subramaniyan, a tribesman of Vazhachal, has been completely taken in by the literary prowess of Vakkukal, written by young Malayalam writer E. Santhoshkumar. And it is helping him beat the lockdown blues.
On his return from work, Mr. Subramaniyan, president of the Vana Samrakshana Samity, the eco-protection council, picks up reading from where he left off the previous day.
Back home, his 13-year-old son, Nithin, occasionally bursts into laughter reading Theevandi Phalithangal, a collection of jokes.
The COVID-19 lockdown has not killed the appetite of the father-son duo for letters, thanks to Akshara Vandi, the library on wheels launched at the Vazhachal Forest Division a week ago.
The visits
In one week, the mobile library has completed one round of visit to the 11 tribal hamlets of the Vazhachal area, 78 km from Kochi, and distributed around 750 books.
The second round of visit is due in a couple of days when the readers would be able to exchange the books. The library boasts of a collection of over 3,000 books, said S.V. Vinod, Divisional Forest Officer, Vazhachal.
Mr. Subramaniyan was a regular visitor to the library Aksharashree, managed by the department for the population, before the lockdown.
While the elders prefer to read novels and short stories, the youth pick up guides and books that help them crack competitive exams, said P. Ajikumar, Forest Range Officer, Chappa, who was part of the team that went for the distribution of books.
Tough terrain
The distribution of books is relatively easy in some hamlets that are lying adjacent to each other. In some cases, the vehicle has to tread through the tough forest terrain to reach the readers.
Long journey
It is a long and tedious travel to some colonies which are located in the interior areas.
Some hamlets are located nearly 60 km away from Vazhachal, a popular ecotourism destination, said Mr. Vinod. A painting competition has also been organised for the children during the lockdown period to escape boredom.
While the children below 12 years were given the subject forest for the competition, elder students were asked to draw on the subject COVID-19. The winners will be given prizes.
