CHENNAI: With a view to expanding the knowledge base and providing a wide range of literature in multiple subjects to Tamil readers, particularly students, efforts are afoot to reproduce decades-old books published by the State agency and give them a new lease of life.
The Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation (TNTBESC) that is entrusted with the task, has identified about 1,000 books that were printed in the 1960s and 1970s by the then Bureau of Tamil Publications.
“We have identified about 1,000 books actually published in the 60s and 70s. These books will be reprinted and circulated through district central libraries for reference to the readers,” D Jagannathan, Managing Director of TNTBESC, told Express.
A 15-member expert panel that formed the education committee, comprising eminent scholars including former Anna University Vice-Chancellors M Ananthakrishnan and E Balagurusamy, has been constituted to identify the books and give them a spruce up.
The subjects dealt in the books published by the Bureau of Tamil Publications are wide in range as they cover history, geography, environment, psychology, polity, economy, science, mathematics, physics and chemistry to mention a few. Retaining the old charm and texture of the wrappers, the reprints are being made with minimum touch up aesthetically.
One of the books that is being given a rebirth is on differential calculus (‘Vagai Nunkanitham’ in Tamil), a tough part in mathematics. Sankaranarayanan, drafted for the task, said, “It is very difficult to learn differential calculus in English but it is amazing to see that it was written in Tamil language five decades ago.”
The book was written by Manickavachagam Pillay who served as professor of mathematics at the Alagappa Institute of Technology. Late Dravidian leader and Minister for Education Nedunchezhian had written the foreword to a book, Democracy, penned by a scholar K Santhanam, published in 1967. The book, then, was priced `4.25.
Jagannathan said orders had already been placed for reprinting 400 such books, which would be made available at the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai, and all the 32 district central libraries. “After weighing the response from readers, further prints will be made for commercial sale at a subsidised rates,” he said.
Apart from catering to the needs of general readers, this knowledge treasure will also help civil service aspirants to crack the highly competitive examination. A set of questions likely to come up in the examinations is appended with these books. The TNTBESC is also planning to republish nationalised books in the days to come, perhaps for the first time. These apart, steps are being taken up to establish a library in TNTBESC complex in DPI campus at Nungambakkam.
E-books for netizens
Besides giving a new lease of life to decades-old books, the authorities are also contemplating making available soft copies, in tune with the growing trend, so that netizens could gain easy access. Links to e-books will be provided in the website of TNTBESC to encourage reading and gaining knowledge
