The Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIMK) recently donated over 22,000 books worth about Rs 1.1 crore to colleges across Kerala. 30 colleges in six districts in north Kerala (Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad and Kozhikode) were the recipients of this donation drive.
The book donation programme, organised as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, saw the beneficiary colleges being handed over about 700 books each, worth about Rs 3.5 lakh and covered subjects including economics, management, accountancy, commerce, marketing and operations research.
Speaking on the occasion, IIMK Director Prof Debashis Chatterjee expressed hope that the initiative would inspire young minds. "Books are nothing but knowledge that is crystallised in the form of words, letters and pages. This knowledge has to keep flowing, otherwise, it ceases to be relevant. So if you look at the books we gave away, there were a lot of them which we wouldn't have used going forward, but we still hoard them. So we thought it is possible to give it away."
He added, "This is an act that generates the ripple effect of giving. We told colleges that received the books that you must also give away books that you are not using anymore. The fundamental principle is that is knowledge is circulated, it can also enliven. Reading habits are going for a toss, because of Television and other digital mediums. So the idea of giving these books away is not just for charity but bringing back a habit that built civilisations. We want this to be part of a movement, not just IIM."
The books donated are from IIMK's library as well as those donated by students and professors.