ALAPPUZHA: Boat number S52 of the Kerala State Water Transport Department is making waves in Alappuzha. The boat, which ferries passengers between Muhamma and Kumarakom, now has a library to help passengers pass the time while they wait for their destinations. This is the first time in the state that a library has been arranged in a boat.
Set up by the National Service Schemes (NSS) unit of A B Vilasom HSS Muhamma, the ‘floating library’ contains 300 books in English and Malayalam, of noted writers, including Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, M T Vasudevan Nair, Paulo Coelho and others from the state and across the globe.
“Daily commuters form a major chunk of the passengers who depend on the service. The travel time is 40 minutes (for one side). A frequent passenger can complete a book in one or two weeks,” said KSWTD station master Shanavas Khan. Passengers have to return the books to the library upon reaching their destination.
Shanavas said the school management contacted them with the idea. “We took it up with our superiors in KSWTD and they approved the initiative. We are planning to set up libraries in other boats too,” Shanavas said.
A V Vinod, the NSS coordinator of the school, said: “Muhamma-Kumarakom is one of the busiest boat routes in the state. We had discussed the idea of starting a library with a few commuters and they wholeheartedly welcomed it.” He said the initiative will rekindle the public’s love for reading.
“Social media has adversely affected people’s reading habits. Passengers in the boat currently pass time by looking at their smartphones. The books in the library will popularise reading among them,” Vinod said.
Commuters laud move, want more libraries
He said the books were donated by students, parents and teachers of the school as well as local residents. “Many people donated new books. We had previously set up a mobile library in Muhamma,” Vinod said.C P Shaji, a passenger, termed the idea ‘pathbreaking’ and said KSWTD should start libraries in more boats to promote reading among passengers.