Library rooted in Gandhian principles turns a boon to book lovers in Andhra Pradesh

For over eight decades, Sarada library in Anakapalli, 40km from Visakhapatnam, has been serving students, researchers and book lovers. Established by the Korukonda Brothers, the library has 35K books, including 500 on Mahatma Gandhi and many 19th century publications.

A bust of Mahatma Gandhi and portraits of the stalwarts of the Library Movement greet visitors at the entrance of the Sarada Grandhalaya (library) at Anakapalli, about 40 km from Visakhapatnam. The library has been serving students, researchers and book lovers for over eight-and-half decades now.

The Korukonda Brothers—Linga Murthy and Butchiraju—who were followers of the Gandhian philosophy, donated their 700 square yards (6,300 sft) of land and established a trust named ‘Gandhi Ashram’.

A building was constructed in 1930 and, six years later, a library was opened in it. Four years later, the Gandhi Khaddar Society was also established in the same building. Today, the library has a collection of over 35,000 books on various subjects.

Korukonda Linga Murthy (1886-1944) was a mathematics teacher at the Veeresalingam High School in Rajamahendravaram. He had also served as secretary of the Gouthami Library in Rajamahendravaram. On shifting to Anakapalli in Visakhapatnam district, he noticed the absence of a library in the ‘jaggery town’ and thought of establishing one for the benefit of the people of the town.

The library grew from strength to strength over the years. Thanks to the efforts of Linga Murthy’s son Korukonda Subbaraju (1914-1993), who took over the responsibility of managing the library after the death of his father.

He worked relentlessly for four decades for developing the library. His period saw the addition of a treasure trove of books on various subjects such as history; biography; science; literature; philosophy; and research publications in Telugu and English. The library also has a collection of 500 books on Mahatma Gandhi in 75 volumes.

A ‘Cultural Association’ was also started at the library, through which over 400 talks were delivered by educationists from across the country. Another association in the name of ‘Sarada Sangeetha Parishat’ was established for the promotion of classical music and over 80 Carnatic music concerts were conducted through it.