A government library in Kattery village near Udhagamandalam, which had suffered years of neglect and was on the verge of collapse, has been renovated with funds raised by local residents.
The government library, which has 1,300 members, and has 30,000 books, had been set up in the 1960s. Most of the library’s members are school and college children as well as farmers, and local residents said that the library fulfilled a very important social function over the last five decades of its existence in the village. “For many, it remains the first place where they could access books readily, and many of the members have been members of the library since their childhood,” said local residents.
After it was built, the building housing the library was not renovated, meaning that over the years, spells of heavy rain in the area would lead to water damage to books and an increased chance of the building collapsing.
“We approached the district library seeking funds for its renovation, but they too said that they would be unable to provide any funding to renovate the building,” said a resident of the village.
“As the library was closed down due to the lockdown, weeds had started growing all around the building,” said Guru Lingam, another resident of Kattery village. After cleaning up the premises, local residents held a meeting with the village head, Rajappan, who called on the residents to raise funds on their own to help in the renovation of the entire building.
A door-to-door campaign was started to raise funds, and around 500 people contributed to the effort, with around ₹ 1 lakh being raised by the residents. “We immediately set to work, and carried out the renovation, realising that the monsoon was just around the corner. With most of the major renovation work fully completed, the rain hit the Nilgiris, and we are happy to report that there has been no water seeping through the walls of the building,” said Mr. Rajappan.