Library on the go

THE hypnotic patterns of codes, the hum of the server room, and the sterile gleam of Chennai's skyline had become a golden cage of routine. For Kumizhmunai J Simon Aravinth Singh, a former network engineer, it could not drown out the persistent itch for purpose. On a fine day in 2016, he found himself piling his belongings into a carton to leave for good.

- S GODSON WISELY DASS

The former techie chose to trade the predictable paycheck and life behind the screen to build a sanctuary of wisdom; a bike library, envisioned to be as big as the one Dr BR Ambedkar had, but not limited by location, resources or status. Today, he has a collection of over 2,000 books at home. Simon's bike library sets up shop every day on Palayamkottai Road in Thoothukudi town, in front of the city corporation's planetarium.

A novel initiative, the library on a bike has books hung on twines supported by rods, and readers perched around on footpaths. School children, college students, part-time workers and employees flock to Simon's bike library as the clock strikes 8 in the evening.

Godwin, who was in a hurry to reach the library, told TNIE that his interest in reading books picked up after he began to frequent the bike library. "Reading under the sodium lamp, as the sea breeze gently slides by, is refreshing and helps me forget the day's stress," he said.