Writer to inaugurate DCC’s public library today

Membership in facility will be open to all

KOCHI

A library for the public is perhaps the last thing one associates with a District Congress Committee (DCC) office.

The Ernakulam DCC office has bucked that trend, and in a first of its kind initiative, has set up a library spread over 3,000 sq.ft. Writer T. Padmanabhan will inaugurate the Paul P. Mani memorial library and the Sabarmati study and research centre on Sunday.

The library boasts over 25,000 titles spread across diverse genres. “We wanted to encourage reading and have set up the library complete with a reference section over a period of six months. The work on a digital studio is underway and is likely to be complete in a month,” said DCC president Muhammed Shiyas.

For a while now, Mr. Shiyas has avoided accepting shawls and other mementos and instead asked organisers to present him with a book. About 4,000 titles were collected in that manner while another 3,000 were received as donations. The collection was further bolstered by buying books for about ₹10 lakh.

Membership will be open to all. Arrangements have also been made for online membership and reservation of titles.

“We aim to convert the Sabarmati Study and Research Centre into a platform for debates and discussions by inviting intellectuals, speakers, and politicians cutting across their party affiliations. The idea is to create a culture of debate and set it as a model to be emulated at the grass roots levels of the party. We want people to read and encourage them to speak up,” said Mr. Shiyas.