AKG Memorial Library rebuild plan takes social media by storm

MALAPPURAM: An appeal seeking help to rebuild AKG Memorial Library in Talukkara near Tirur which was set on fire allegedly by BJP workers last week has gone viral in social media.

The campaign started with a hashtag EachOneGiveOne on Facebook urging netizens to donate books and money drew attention within hours. "We are getting an overwhelming response from many countries, apart from other Indian states. Books are coming in large numbers from individuals, writers and various groups. Many have offered us a good amount of money as well," said K.T. Mustafa, secretary of the library.

The FB post first appeared in Malayalam in various individual and group profiles, later appeared on the official Facebook page of CPM in English with images of the gutted library.

"The offers are pouring in from Gulf countries like UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman," he said. A group of book lovers from Qatar offered books worth '1 lakh. "More than 7000 books were destroyed in the fire. Of these, only 5,000 were catalogued. There were more than 2,000 uncategorised books including latest editions classics bought only a few months ago," he said.

The library run by the CPM branch committee is expecting to have more 10,000 books once it is rebuilt. Individual contributions as a result of the social media campaign alone have crossed the 5,000 mark. The committee members are busy accepting couriers from different parts of the country including Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Kolkata.

The reconstruction works are also in full swing. Meanwhile, police arrested three more BJP workers, besides the two arrested earlier, and the inquiry is still on, Tirur sub-inspector Sunil Pulikkal said.