Library at TN police station a hit among youth, children

A library-cum-reading room established in the premises of a police station in Theni district of Tamil Nadu has become a big hit among the children and youth of the area.

The library which is the brainchild of the station house officer of Chinnmanur police station, P. Sekar, has a collection of more than 700 books and all the vernacular and English newspapers as well as magazines and periodicals.

Sekar while speaking to IANS said, "There are around 15 schools in the locality with 8 higher secondary schools and we felt that a library with books including competitive examination books would help the children prepare for the competitive exams. We also found that the books will be a major attraction fot the youth and children of the area and we can give a different perspective of the police station to the general public."

People have started frequenting the police station just to read the books, periodicals and newspapers that are present in the reading room.

Sunil Manikantan, a Plus two student of a higher secondary school near the police station, told IANS, "We were lacking good books in our school and did not have access to the newspapers, especially English newspapers.

Inspector Sekar and the police station have given us a new opening and I have started preparing for the public service commission brushing up on my general

knowledge as well as my numerical abilities as well as the English

language."

The 18-year-old said that the presence of a good collection of books has changed his outlook on the world and thanked the station house officer for such an initiative.

Several youths who have completed their graduation and post-graduation are also visiting the library to get information and to brush up their knowledge for competitive examinations.

Sundarraj,24 told IANS, "I have completed my post graduation in political science and am preparing for competitive examinations after doing farming to support my family. I cannot afford a coaching institute and the police station library has provided all the material required for preparing myself for competitive examinations. I have written two examinations already and I am awaiting the results."

The library can presently accommodate 20 persons at a time and is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Sekar said that once he found space in the police station, he informed Superintendent of Police Dongare Pravin Umesh who gave the green signal.

Sekar said that the library does not allow people to take books to their homes but after the arrival

of more books, this may be

considered. At present Special

Sub Inspector Kumaran is in charge of the library.