Retired professor V. Arasu
spends Rs. 15 lakh to create library for research students - Hats of you Sirji
Creating a library out of
retirement benefits
The library has 15,000 Tamil books
and 5,000 English books, particularly books on Tamil literature and culture-
Photo: Special Arrangement
It
is common for a person to invest retirement benefits for a secure future.
However, V. Arasu, former head of the Tamil Department of University of Madras,
has spent Rs. 15 lakh to create an academic library for the benefit of research
students at his residence in Perungudi in Chennai.
The
library has 15,000 Tamil books and 5,000 English books, particularly books on
Tamil literature and culture.
“Keeping
the collection in good condition has always been a challenge, especially when
you live in a rented house and shift frequently. We used to keep them under the
cot. Now they have found a safe place,” said Mr. Arasu, who started collecting
books since his college days in the 1970s.
He
has all the dictionaries published in Tamil, over a thousand books on Eelam
literature, 3,000 literary magazines that created new trends in Tamil
literature, souvenirs on great Tamil scholars, including U.V. Swaminatha Iyer,
R.P. Sethu Pillai and theatre personality Pammal Sambanda Mudaliar.
Mr.
Arasu acknowledged the help rendered by architect Mahesh Radhakrishnan who designed
the library on the second floor of the house with adequate aeration.
The
racks were created with wood used for packing materials, treated in chemicals
to keep away insects.
“The
library is open to all serious and committed students.
They
can even stay there and work. They can share the food we prepare.
Even
while I was teaching in the university, we had always had one student or the
other staying with us,” said Mr. Arasu, who has created a separate room for
students in the library.
Retired
professor V. Arasu spends Rs. 15 lakh to create library for research students
Source | The
Hindu | 22 December 2015
Regards
Pralhad Jadhav
Senior Librarian
Khaitan & Co
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