Thiruvananthapuram boasts several libraries, with a long history and a collection of several rare books and manuscripts. The Public Library and the Oriental Manuscripts Library, founded by Swati Tirunal Rama Varma, Sri Chitra Library at Vanchiyoor and Avittam Thirunal Grandhashala in Manacaud rank among the most popular libraries in the city. The old settlement in Palkkulangara, not far from the historic Fort area, also boasts a small library – V.M. Thampi Memorial Library – that holds a valuable collection of books covering various subjects.
The history of this library is linked to the social reformation that took place in the Nair community during the last quarter of the 19th century.
Many Nair households in Sreevaraham, Perumthanni, Palkkulangara and Kaithamukku regions were associated with the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple and the Valiya Kottaram. In 1922, some Nair youths belonging to some families from Palkkulangara assembled at Shanghumugham Devi temple. There, in front of a lit lamp, they founded the ‘Palkkulangara Nair Yuvajana Samajam’. It was a low-key affair and the group was headed by some government officials from the community. Arumanoor N.C. Krishna Pillai was the first president.
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Along with discussions on various strategies to revive the socio-political influence of the community, the early founders and members of the Samajam established a small library in 1940–41 to introduce local residents to the literary realm. “The library was set up in a temporary shed, and books, and periodicals were collected from the houses of the members,” writes E.K. Krishnan Nair, a former president of the Samajam.
The fortune of the small library was soon to change, for, in 1945, the library received a wealthy and powerful patron in B. Lakshmi Pillai Kochamma, a member of Vadasherri Ammaveedu. In the same year, Kochamma donated a plot of land next to the ancient Palkkulangara Devi temple, in order to build a permanent edifice for the library. The new library was destined to be a memorial to Lakshmi Pillai Kochamma’s cousin, the late V. Madhavan Thampi, a.k.a. V.M. Thampi. He was the son of V. Sankaran Thampi, palace manager to the Maharaja Sree Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma.
Today, old photographs of V.M. Thampi, Lakshmi Pillai Kochamma and a stone plaque inscribed with the details of the donation are the only reminders of the library’s connection with the Vadasherri Ammaveedu.
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The library, in its heyday, was the centre of socio-cultural activities in the Palkkulangara region. The library boasts several rare volumes; many of the prized books, bearing the initials ‘ V.M.T. ’, came directly from the late Thampi’s private collection. The library that was once considered as the favourite haunt of the locals is now not in the limelight. “Our library has been given ‘A Grade’ status by the Library Council, but still the number of individuals who make use of the facility is diminishing. The existing building is not sufficient to hold the collection of books. So we are planning to construct a new building with more facilities,” says K.V. Pratapachandran Nair, the present Secretary of the 70-year-old library.
(This write-up is based on an interview with K.V. Pratapachandran, the secretary of the library)
[The author is a conservation architect and history buff]