A small fledgling library in Chennai: residents donate books, shopkeepers watch over it

Wait for that perfect moment, when all favourable factors are in alignment, and you are waiting indefinitely for something that is non-existent, and at best rare, as rare as a seven-planet parade . A horde of details about a tiny library at East Mada Street in Thiruvanmiyur are hanging in the air, but it has been pulled out of the back room and thrust into the public glare — and that is commendable indeed. This library’s physical design raises questions about its longevity. It is wooden and cannot be left in the open during rains. When the skies tear up, it can scoot to the shelter of a tarpaulin canopy installed primarily for two wooden benches made of discarded wood and a wooden chair.  Even if the skies are clear, it is not all-clear for this library at night. 

The library was birthed by the recently launched Project Thiruvanmiyur Mada Street, an effort to reimagine the Mada streets around Marundeeshwarar temple.