Integrity Score 462
No Records Found
No Records Found
Residents of the hilly Mothakkara village in Kerala’s Wayanad district had no easy access to books at the library. Then Radhamani took matters into her own hands.
In the hilly Mothakkara village of Kerala’s Wayanad district, Radhamani, a 63-year-old woman walks several kilometers every day for those who love to read but have no easy access to books.
For as long as she can remember, reading has been one of Radhamani's greatest joys. Even as a child, she used to read stories to her father, who loved listening to them. He had very little education, and could not read. She took it upon herself to read entire books to him.
It was the same love for books, that encouraged Radhamani K. P. to take up the job of a 'walking librarian' at Pratibha Public Library, an offshoot of Library Movement in Kerala.
Although the library has been around for almost 60 years, people in the village – women in particular – had no easy access to books until a few years ago. Despite their love for reading, their tight schedules, busy farming lives, and the distance and time to commute to the library made it difficult for them to visit regularly to borrow books. Their reading was limited to Mangalam, Manorama and other weekly magazines.
Since 2012, when Radhamani started working at Pratibha Library, she has been delivering books to the homes of the library members six days a week. She gives them two new books each time, collects them after eight days, and keeps a record in the library register. She works based on the guidelines that the library council provides for book distribution and delivery.
By now, she has become familiar with the tastes of various members through continuous interaction. The library has over 11,000 books in the Malayalam, English and Hindi languages, and we currently have 102 members, including some senior citizens. She carries around 25 to 30 books every day – a mix of different genres – in a cloth shopping bag, so that members can select books of their choice.
She loves everything about her job, sharing books and daily life with people.