KOCHI: As dawn settles over Fort Kochi and shops begin opening their shutters, one small building continues to glow differently. Inside the modest Sri Chithira Thirunal Vayanashaala, books line the shelves and seven different newspapers are stacked up. And amid them works P Ravindran, the man who turned a dump yard into a public reading room.

For more than 35 years, Ravindran has been the heartbeat of this little library. “The library was named Sri Chithira Thirunal Vayanashala in honour of the last Maharaja of Travancore.

Sree Chithira Thirunal is remembered for his progressive reforms, particularly his contributions to education, social welfare, and the spread of literacy in Kerala,” Ravindran says.

The mission to build a library in 1991 got off to a huge response and support from local residents, he explains.

Ravindran, having retired from a newspaper organisation, spends his pension to sponsor three different newspapers to the library. In the early days, the library functioned from a small, simple structure with limited facilities.

Through donations and community fund-raising efforts, money was collected to renovate and expand the building. Gradually, the small structure gave way to a community institution.

Despite the rise of digital media and the declining culture of reading, Ravindran never lost faith in libraries.

“I believe that a library is much more than a building. Now, this has turned into a community space that brings people together irrespective of age,” he says.

His dedication has not gone unnoticed. Local organisations and cultural groups have honoured him for his years of service, recognising that individuals like him keep Kerala’s celebrated reading culture alive.

Beyond books, the Sri Chithira Thirunal Vayanashala has also become a centre of compassion. The library owns a set of chairs that are lent free of cost to families in the neighbourhood whenever there is a death or such occasions in the community.

This story has been written by Abhirami Anil of The New Indian Express.