COIMBATORE: A small public library in the village of Semmadu, west of Coimbatore, thrives with the student spirit, inviting readers to peek through its doors. The familiar smell of books fills its corners, as many a hand rushes through the shelves, trying to grab titles that piqued their interest, taught them lessons and kept them company, once and even now.
Located in Gandhi Colony, a Scheduled Caste area in the village, the knowledge haven, filled with newspapers, books and archives for competitive examinations, itself holds a rich history. But all it took was one little bookworm!
When V Selvakumar, now 40, was five years old, books began to call out to him, and he used to go to a library in another part of his village where other communities lived. Years later, in 2011, when Selvakumar was in college, the building fell into disrepair, and the library was shifted to a small room beneath an overhead tank.
Disappointed to witness the sad state of his beloved library, Selvakumar looked for ideas. He noticed an unused community hall space behind his colony and requested the panchayat president to relocate the library there. Initially, he agreed to the request but later refused after a few persons from the dominant caste raised concerns. “They asked him how they could send their children to ‘that’ colony. So, the request was nullified. When we finally discovered the truth, the anger and grief were beyond words,” Selvakumar recalled.
Caste discrimination was loud and clear in that refusal. “Once I realised this, an idea sparked in me. If they would not give us access to their library, we would build our own,” he decided, believing that a library was powerful for the development of the SC people through education.
On the night of April 26, 2016, Selvakumar and his friends went to an unmaintained government community hall where cattle hides were stored for making drums. The next day they hosted a career guidance programme for the SC community, speaking to the youth about the importance of education and living with dignity.
The small library began to function as a government library with the permission of the district collector. To engage the youth in current affairs, the team decided to keep newspapers. To buy them, just one rupee a month was collected from each family in the village. “Reading the library’s newspapers as a kid helped me understand the importance of higher education, and I pursued my further studies. I believe I can crack competitive exams, and I use this library for my prep,” said R Sadhana, an MCom student.
However, the facility began to deteriorate right after Selvakumar moved to Ahmedabad. Local youth groups partnered with MLA S P Velumani to take over a vacant or under-utilised space. Through their efforts, the property was officially transferred from general government control to the Library Department to be run as a public reading facility. “When we make infrastructure like a library, things don’t change overnight. But creating a knowledge repository within the community can truly change the game,” said Selvakumar.
When the library was set up, there were only four graduates in the area. Now, there are 30, some of whom work in private companies and one who works as a schoolteacher. Many may see this as just a library or just a book lover’s small dream, but for the children of this community, it is the first step into a portal to a better life through education.
(Edited by Jotsna Bellani)