The Kerala Legislative Assembly building was illuminated in connection with the week-long centenary celebrations of the Kerala Legislative Assembly Library in Thiruvananthapuram. Photo credit: S Mahinsha
“It was a rare opportunity to see the Kerala Legislature, its visitors’ gallery, the assembly and the museum up close,” says JC Narayanan, secretary of the Malayalam Pallikoodam in Thiruvananthapuram.
Students of Malayalam Pallikkodam with Chairman AN Shamseer during the Kerala Legislature International Book Festival | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Hundred students from Pallikkudam were among over 50,000 school students who visited the assembly complex, which was thrown open to the public during the week-long centenary celebrations of the Kerala Legislative Assembly Library. The celebrations included the Kerala Legislature International Book Festival and a plethora of cultural programs in the evening. The event was attended by a crowd of writers, readers and speakers, including Sri Lankan Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka and Malayalam litterateur T Padmanabhan.
JC points out that without the necessary passes and permits, the assembly premises are also usually off limits to visitors. “However, during the week, visitors to the Kerala Legislature International Book Festival were also able to visit the library, museum, walk around the assembly and take photographs. I doubt this has ever happened anywhere else in the country,” she adds.
People from all over the state queued up to see the campus for book exhibitions and cultural events, which are usually seen on television.
The Kerala Legislature Library, located in the administrative block of the complex, started with a collection of books owned by the erstwhile Diwans of Travancore. Known as the Legislative Library in 1921, it was renamed as the Travancore Cochin Legislative Library in 1949 and known as the Kerala Legislature Library.
The library houses more than one lakh books, gazettes, newspapers and magazines from several decades and is a treasure trove of information about the state and its history. The three-storey building also houses a collection of rare books on the state.
Located in the heart of Thiruvananthapuram, it was once a Travancore army camp. Membership of the library has now been opened to the public as well.
Students of Nalanda Teachers Training Institute outside the visitors’ gallery waiting for a chance to go inside the gallery. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Parvati VS, a teacher at the Nalanda Teacher Training Institute in Palode, on the outskirts of the city, says it was a unique and memorable experience for the institute’s 36 first-semester students. “As part of their curriculum, students are expected to organize a mock parliament. We also have ministers, various departments, a speaker and watch and ward staff. So, it was wonderful for the students to see it for the first time. An officer of the Legislature Secretariat took us on a tour of the Assembly. We saw the museum with its rich collection of memorabilia, sculptures…” says Parvati. He also met journalists from Sabha TV, which covers the proceedings of the Assembly, during the session.
From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., visitors come to buy books, tour the museum, and freely roam the assembly under the watchful eyes of Watch and Ward staff. Groups of students happily took selfies near the bust of former President KR Narayanan in the forecourt of the Assembly and posed for pictures inside the Assembly premises.
Ananthakrishnan RS, a school teacher from Alumthara near Venjaramoodu, is visiting the assembly for the first time with his students. Busy distributing ice cream cones to the students, she says it was a memorable trip for all of them. “The Legislative Assembly is the house of the people’s representatives. It was nice to experience the place and have the staff explain everything to us. Who knows we might get another chance like this?” She wondered.
The success of the festival is reflected in the face of the speaker AN Shamseer. He says that while he was confident that his office and staff could organize a book festival, he wanted to ensure that there was mass participation from people, especially students. More than 50 publishers, big and small, participated in the festival which ended on 15th January.
He says: “I am glad that students and visitors from every district took the opportunity to visit the assembly and the book fair. Our tagline is ‘Reading is an addiction’ and it was wonderful to see a large number of people coming to the book fair, browsing the collection and buying books.
Dismissing the security concerns raised by some, he says he was sure there was nothing the Legislature Complex staff couldn’t deal with. “Doesn’t the heavily guarded place get attacked? I was optimistic that our men would not create any law and order issue and they lived up to our expectations.
Truly, a week that was of the people, by the people and for the people!
JC says, “Democratic effort of democratic government”.