Forgotten lives adorn racks of Kovai library

HE scent of old paper and the whisper of turning pages hang in the air, a stark contrast to the cacophony of car horns and bustling crowds just outside the library door.

- R KIRUBAKARAN

Here, nestled in the heart of Coimbatore, a city obsessed with the relentless pursuit of progress, two friends are on a different kind of quest – a journey into the past.

In this technology-driven age, many are driven by "What's next?" But for Sudhakar Nalliyappan and Kumaravel Ramasamy, the question "What was?" holds the key to a more meaningful future. These kindred spirits, bound by a shared fascination with history, believe that to truly understand where one is headed, it is important to first understand where one has been. Sudhakar believes that losing our history is akin to losing ourselves. He emphasizes the importance of remembering the stories that shaped our world – the food our ancestors ate, the art they created, the very land they walked on. For him, history is intrinsically linked to identity, and without it, we lose a vital part of who we are.