A page-turner idea: Telangana man sets up 'mini footpath libraries' in Suryapet

HYDERABAD: Read all the books at home? Imagine walking up to your nearest footpath, getting to pick a book from a shelf, reading and returning it whenever you feel like. Well, such a ‘mini library’ does exist on a crossroad at KLR Colony, Kodad in Suryapet district. Forty-five-year-old Jalagam Sudheer, who has set up this mini library in his colony, hopes that it helps children and adults read more, at a time when people are forced to be at their homes due to Covid, hooked to their phones, laptops and TV. 

Speaking to Express about his idea, he said, “When we were living in Seattle, Washington, some years ago, we saw many such libraries in the city. We wanted to start a similar concept here in Telangana. So, I aim to start many of these mini-libraries that are accessible and free to people. This is one of the first libraries, that has around 55 books on the stand and is set up at a crossroad of your colony. There are various kinds of books at the stand ranging from autobiographies and educational books, that can be read by both children and adults.”

Sudheer says that it is been a few days since he set up this ‘book stand’. The footpath library has been generating a good response from residents of the colony. MLC Kavitha Kalvakuntla, Energy Minister G Jagadeesh Reddy and Ex MLA of Kodad, N Padmavati Uttam have all lauded Sudheer’s effort. He is the sole contributor for setting up the mini library that cost around `10,000. He aims to set up nine more such libraries.