A hundred government and aided schools received 40 new titles for their libraries free of cost as part of the ‘Read and Rise’ initiative of The Hindu on Saturday.
The books, worth a total of ₹8 lakh, jointly sponsored by News 7 Tamil, were distributed to the headmasters at an event held at Subbiah Vidhyalayam.
As many as 4,000 books were given as part of the initiative. Titles in The Hindu Group special publications, books for self-motivation and cracking competitive exams like NEET were given.
District Revenue Officer M. Veerappan, who participated as the chief guest, said that even during the digital era, the feel of reading a book remains unparalleled. He also shared an anecdote from life of famous poet and lyricist Kannadasan. “Even though Kannadasan was a school dropout, the poet spent most of his time during the day at a library, which helped him cultivate the ability to write with a flair,” he said.
Managing Director of News 7 Tamil, V. Subramanian said that the habit of reading would help find answers to problems in life, and empower students at a young age. “The initiative is a small effort, which would go a long way,” he said.
R. Barathan, Senior Manager, Circulation Department of The Hindu and Assistant District Programme Coordinator of Samagra Shiksha R. Subramanian were present.
