The reading room

Through the agency of the Federation of OMR Resident Associations, the IT Corridor now has an annual literary festival, a book reading club that is gaining in popularity by the day and regular book swap events. The IT crowd is clearly trying to honour the physical book in more ways than one. The greatest evidence of this trend is how an increasing number of gated communities on the Corridor are reserving space, time and resources for establishing a reading space. Based on their experiences, a primer on how to set up and sustain a community library

Old Mahabalipuram Road has a close kinship with technology, as its monicker “IT Corridor” implies. Given the belief that physical books are losing out to technology, essentially screens, efforts in the OMR region to promote the former are bound to pique curiosity. Past the first look, that curiosity survives, in fact deepens. These efforts are not fitful; underneath them runs a leavening of deep intent. Here is compelling data. In 2024, the Federation of OMR Resident Associations (FOMRRA), which can speak for around 200 gated communities across OMR, launched OMR Litfest, essentially celebrating physical books. The annual recurrence of the monsoon sans the uncertainties is built into the OMR Litfest. FOMRRA fosters an active book club, Bookworms, that runs books under the microscope of literary appreciation. From footnotes in large community gatherings, FOMRRA’s “Book Swaps” have long risen to the dignity of standalone events. Even more irresistible is the move by gated communities to raise “book houses” within their cloistered environs. Recently, FOMMRA ran an informal survey of libraries at the gated communities in OMR rustling up a questionnaire in its WhatsApp group. It shared its findings with The Hindu Downtown: model community libraries exist on the IT Corridor. A good number of gated communities yet to invest in a full-fledged, modern community library are keen on doing so, but feel hampered by the lack of knowhow. Here are lessons from three community libraries for any gated community anywhere that might want to add an effectively-run and much-patronised book house to its amenities.

Hooked on Books (2012) @ The Central Park South

Lessons Learnt:

1. A library should not be an afterthought

2. A library belongs to every resident

3. Aim at a staggeringly diverse collection

4. Launch reading challenges; run campaigns