Over 10,000 books in various Indian languages on literature, history, culture, philosophy, science and other subjects have been made available to research scholars and members of the public with the opening of a special library at Lok Bhavan.
Named ‘Thunchan Smrithi’ after Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, regarded as the father of modern Malayalam language and literature, the library brings together books gifted to and purchased by Lok Bhavan over the years.
The collection includes more than 4,000 Malayalam books and around 6,000 books in English, besides works in other Indian languages.
Located on the ground floor of the new building adjacent to the main entrance of Lok Bhavan, the library brings together books that were earlier kept at different locations. The collection has been systematically organised and catalogued like a conventional library.
The breadth of the collection is reflected in the way the books have been arranged. The library has sections covering humanities and social sciences, literature and the arts, sciences and practical disciplines, economics, and religion and spirituality.
The shelves include works on history, political science, philosophy, psychology, culture, journalism, encyclopaedias and the Constitution; fiction, poetry and music; general science, medicine, health and agriculture; Indian and Kerala economies; and major faiths.
The effort is aimed at taking this collection beyond the confines of Lok Bhavan. Research scholars, teachers, writers, students and members of the public will be able to use the resources for reading, study and research.
Inaugurating the facility last Friday, Governor Rajendra Arlekar said the library was intended to turn Lok Bhavan into a more accessible literary and cultural space.
“Today we have inaugurated a new addition in our Lok Bhavan. We already had one small library. Now, from today onwards, we are having a big library for the Lok Bhavan,” he said.
For Arlekar, however, the library is not merely an expansion of the existing collection. It is also part of a larger effort to make Lok Bhavan a public cultural space.
Explaining the choice of name, he said Ezhuthachan’s literary legacy needed to be carried forward. “We have named this after a great writer, poet, saint-like figure of our Malayalam literature. His literary heritage has to be carried forward, so that is the reason why we have named it here,” he said.
Arlekar added that the library would not be restricted to Lok Bhavan staff. “This library will also be available and open to other people also. We invite suggestions from all the people of Kerala, so that they give us good inputs and we can improve this library facility,” he said.
The emphasis on public access was echoed in the governor’s larger vision for Lok Bhavan. He said the institution was gradually being opened up as a space for the people of the state, with the library forming part of that process.
The library’s literary significance was also underlined by those who attended its inauguration. Filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan said it was particularly significant that the library had been named after Ezhuthachan.
Poet V Madhusoodanan Nair expressed the hope that the library would become an important resource centre for researchers and students studying Kerala.
Others saw the initiative as an opportunity to strengthen the culture of reading and engagement with regional languages.
Writer George Onakkoor said it reflected the governor’s interest in reading and language, as well as his commitment to promoting the regional language.
Poet Rosemary noted that initiatives that bring together books, reading and literature would help create more vibrant cultural spaces in society.