A. Sunderraj, librarian at the Government Branch Library in Mugavalur, Periya Anaikkaraipatti, Manapparai, for the past eight years, was in for a pleasant surprise when a newly married couple, Daniel Raj and Nobin Trichy, decided to drop in at the library soon after their wedding and enlisted as members.
“The marriage was being held in a hall near the library on March 23. I wasn’t expecting the newlyweds, but once they were there, I welcomed them and requested them to sign up as members,” Mr. Sunderraj told The Hindu.
Mr. Daniel, a diploma holder who owns and drives a tractor in Ponnaiyar Dam, said that he had wanted to set an example to other young people by joining the library. “I am fond of reading, though I don’t have any favourite genres. I thought this would be a good gesture to inspire others to frequent the library. But I have to still borrow my first book, as I have been busy with the wedding,” he said. Ms. Nobin works as a nurse.
The rural library has 2,400 members, most of them students drawn from the government school in the vicinity. A subscription of ₹20 allows borrowers to take one book home for 15 days.
