Theni (Tamil Nadu): Teas stalls are usually places where people engage in heated discussions related to politics, sports and an umpteen number of other things. But a local tea stall owner at Allinagaram in Theni is on the path to change this image of tea stalls. Meet Rajendran, a tea stall owner who set up a library at his shop to help students from rural areas find reading materials for competitive examinations.
At 'Aruvi tea stall', Rajendran offers books that were once used by his son. While staff at the newly opened tea stall focus on the taste and quality of the beverage, Rajendran’s strategy of ‘a library inside a tea stall’ seems to be attracting more customers to the shop these days.
Aruvi tea stall helps students prepare for competitive exams Speaking about how he stumbled on the idea of opening a library inside a tea stall which usually is the hub of political discussions and gossips, Rajendran said, “I had stored the books bought for my son. As we were reluctant to throw them away, we decided to set up a library with it. Instead of looking for a separate place to set up the library, we decided to do it in the tea stall which we were about to open. This is how ‘Kalaam Maanavargal Noolagam’ (Kalaam Student’s library) was formed.”
“Initially, we racked general knowledge and other books needed for students to prepare for NEET and JEE examinations. Learning about this, a voluntary organisation called ‘Thinnai Payirchi Maiam’ offered books that could be benefitted by students preparing for competitive exams like TNPSC and UPSC. This increased the number of patrons visiting the library. Students could provide their Aadhar and mobile number and take any book of their choice home without any cost. We are planning to add novels, short stories and literature to encourage and enhance reading habit among people,” he added.
“‘Kalaam Maanavargal Noolagam’ is the outcome of queries made by a few students from rural areas who were preparing for the NEET examination. My wish is to help rural students, who do not have many facilities. I hope the books that helped me succeed in my exams will benefit them as well. We would be delighted even if one student could benefit from our library," said Jayasudharshan, Rajendrans’s son, who also encourages students to visit the library.
Parthiban, a student of 12th standard and a patron of the library, said, “Due to the pandemic and lockdown all training centres and libraries are closed and we couldn’t afford to buy books as well. Hence, we found it difficult to prepare for our entrance exams. Kalaam Maanavargal Noolagam helped us to a great extent during this period. They also support us by clearing the doubts we have.”
While a lot of libraries are being shut down in the absence of proper maintenance and patronage, Rajendran’s library is a fine example of thoughtfulness.
