NTR District Collector highlights role of libraries during freedom movement

The National Library Week celebrations at Tagore Memorial District Library in Vijayawada were inaugurated by NTR District Collector S Dilli Rao on Tuesday. In his opening remarks, Dilli Rao paid homage to Jawaharlal Nehru, Rabindranath Tagore, and Ayyanki Venkata Ramanayya.
Addressing the audience, Dilli Rao emphasised the significance of the National Library Day, organised to honour SR Ranganathan, the pioneer of library science in India, on his birth anniversary. He stressed the need to raise awareness about the importance of libraries in the current era.
Highlighting the historical role of libraries during the freedom movement, the District Collector underscored their contribution to imparting knowledge and fostering a sense of independence among the public. He expressed concern about potential eye damage from reading e-books on computers, advocating the health benefits of reading physical books.
“Reading books is beneficial for your health, fostering a continuous learning process. It is essential to emphasise the relevance of libraries in today’s society,” he remarked. He encouraged efforts to attract students to libraries by ensuring the availability of books useful for competitive exams.
T. Jamalapurnamma, Chairperson of the District Library Organisation, announced that the National Library Week would extend until November 20. The schedule of events included Children’s Day on November 14, book pairs on November 15, commemoration of freedom movement leaders on November 16, poet gatherings and seminars on November 17, and a painting personality quiz and essay competition on November 18. November 19 would focus on raising awareness about women’s empowerment, and November 20 would feature a mass reading program by students, promoting awareness about digital libraries, and concluding with a prize distribution ceremony.
Participants in the event included GV Purna Chandu, Nellibandla Balaswamy, Library Secretary Nagesh, Librarians K Ramadevi, G Umarani, Y Dhanalakshmi, and students from various schools.