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Social centre claims biggest Malayalam books collection

Abu Dhabi - There are some 1,000 English language books, with many by the UAE rulers too.

An Indian organisation, which came into existence in 1972, has claimed the biggest collection of Malayalam books outside the south Indian state of Kerala.
Members of the Kerala Social Centre (KSC) based in the Capital told Khaleej Times their 40-year-old library has over 9,000 books. KSC committee member and librarian Faisal Bava said: "Reading books and newspapers is a strong part of the state's culture. Our library serves as a platform for Keralites in the UAE to follow that habit. We have different genres: fiction, non-fiction, short stories and poems. Over the years, our collection has hit 9,500 books.
"This is by far the biggest collection of Malayalam books outside Kerala. We did crosscheck with various library councils and found that no facility outside Kerala has these many books."
Works by famous authors N. Kumaran Ashan, MT Vasudevan Nair, OV Vijayan, K Ayyappa Paniker, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, Kamala Surayya, K Sachidanandan among other names fill most of shelves. There are some 1,000 English language books, with many by the UAE rulers too.
"We have up to 3,000 old books. There's a small collection of rare record books with old Malayalam fonts. We have a special section for kids and a right balance of old and new authors," Bava added.
The library has 450 active members and sees a transaction of 20-25 books every day. "Emirati poet Dr Shihab Ghanem has visited this library couple of times. We can safely say the habit of reading books isn't dying."
The KSC also has a reading hall where English and Malayalam newspapers and magazines are available. Right now, KSC os undergoing a renovation and soon the library too may get a facelift.
The centre also offers free Malayalam classes for children. It is now a recognised centre for supporting the Malayalam Mission, a Kerala government initiative to promote the language.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com