Thiruvananthapuram: A special library housing over 10,000 books collected by Lok Bhavan has been opened on its premises, with the facility named 'Thunchan Smrithi' after Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, who is revered as the father of Malayalam language.
The library, which opened on Friday, is housed in a new building near the main entrance of Lok Bhavan.
It has been set up to preserve books received as gifts and those purchased by Lok Bhavan, and to make them available for reading, study and research, according to a Lok Bhavan statement.
The collection includes more than 4,000 Malayalam books and around 6,000 books in English, besides works in various Indian languages. Books covering literature, history, culture, philosophy, science and other subjects are also part of the collection.
The books, which were earlier kept at different locations, have now been organised systematically in a conventional library format so that they can be put to wider public use, it said.
The objective is to make the collection accessible not only for reading but also for academic study and research. Research scholars, teachers, writers, students and other readers can make use of the facility, the statement said.
Keralam Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar said the library would be developed as a cultural space reflecting Keralam's cultural heritage and diversity. It is also intended to evolve into a knowledge centre providing books and information for those studying the southern state's history, literature, culture and social life.
By bringing together books received by Lok Bhavan on various occasions and organising them in one place, the initiative has created an extensive knowledge and cultural collection, the statement said.
Legendary filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan said naming the library after Ezhuthachan was highly significant. He said it was gratifying that the library was named after Ezhuthachan, who is widely regarded as the ‘father of Malayalam language and literature’.
Poet V Madhusoodanan Nair said ‘Thunchan Smrithi’ should develop into a knowledge centre providing information and books to researchers and students studying in Kerala.
Writer George Onakkoor said the initiative reflected the Governor's commitment to the development and promotion of the local language and his interest in reading and language.
Poet Rosemary said it was a blessed moment to be part of a function attended by eminent personalities. Initiatives that bring books, reading and literature together would help create more cultural spaces, she stated.
Lok Bhavan expressed hope that by opening its book collection for reading and research, Thunchan Smrithi would emerge as a notable cultural and knowledge centre in the state capital, the statement added.
