But for real development of libraries, and before that, the genuine growth of a reading culture, what is needed is a broad and long-term effort.
Published Sep 13, 2025 | 2:00 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 13, 2025 | 2:00 PM
The library movement is not just a matter of enthusiastic ideas or isolated actions. It is a planned process of social, politico-economic, and cultural evolution.
Synopsis: For real development of libraries, and before that, the genuine growth of a reading culture, what is needed is a broad and long-term effort. This is not just a matter of enthusiastic ideas or isolated actions. It is a planned process of social, political-economic, and cultural evolution.
On September 8, Hyderabad witnessed a small event called “Walk with a Book.” Nearly a hundred poets, writers, artists, and socially conscious individuals, stressing the importance of books, the need for reading, and the necessity of developing libraries, walked with books from the Sundarayya Vignana Kendram at Bagh Lingampally to the City Central Library at Chikkadpally.
This was a prelude to the thought of building another library movement in Telangana.
In both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, over the past few years, a new library movement has been taking shape through the initiative of certain individuals who want to develop a culture of reading.
In Andhra Pradesh, poet, short story writer, and teacher Manchikanti, has been doing commendable work for over three years, travelling and campaigning for another library movement. He has undertaken cycle and motorbike yatras across the state, and even padayatras in some regions.
Along the way, he conducted awareness programs in schools and colleges across the state and became an inspiration to thousands.
Similarly, from Narsampet, teacher and writer Kasula Ravi Kumar has been carrying books in his car and, under the slogan “Lead Library”, has been striving to establish, revive, and strengthen hundreds of school and college libraries.
Not only these individuals, but in both states there are also many book lovers and those who seek to cultivate a reading culture and to promote the growth of public, school, and college libraries, who are making efforts in their own possible ways.
These efforts are certainly necessary. But if libraries and reading culture are truly to flourish, they are not sufficient. At best, such attempts may awaken thoughts among people or draw attention towards the need for libraries.
But for real development of libraries, and before that, the genuine growth of a reading culture, what is needed is a broad and long-term effort.
This is not just a matter of enthusiastic ideas or isolated actions. It is a planned process of social, political-economic, and cultural evolution. Small initiatives like these will certainly help, but unless they are integrated with broader and deeper efforts, they cannot succeed.
For another library movement to truly succeed, it must spread at least on three levels.
First, reading should increase at the level of individuals, families, and circles of friends. Everyone should ask themselves, every day and every week, what they are reading. This will create awareness about the need for libraries. Then, for setting up new libraries, for improving existing ones, and for their development, public collectives and civil society groups must take up campaigns to expand pro-library consciousness.
However, no matter how much work is done at these two levels, it can only increase reading culture and public awareness, or lead to the creation of small, private, or group libraries. But for libraries to truly expand, that task must be undertaken by governments. Establishing a library itself may be a small idea, but sustaining it for the long term is a planned endeavor.
Buildings, chairs, tables, cupboards, librarians, their salaries and allowances, regular supply of books and journals, and now, with advancing technology, not only printed books but also digital reading materials, access to digital information, computers, electricity, and internet facilities—all these are indispensable needs. Which means huge funds are required. Such funds cannot be raised by individuals or community groups. Only governments can do that.
And even for governments, it is not a matter of generosity or mercy. For libraries, for the reading needs of people, for spreading awareness, the government does not have to give a single paisa out of its own pocket. From the days of united Andhra Pradesh, the government has been collecting a special tax called Library Cess from the people specifically for libraries.
Under the Andhra Pradesh Public Libraries Act, 1960, eight percent of the property tax collected in village panchayats, municipalities, and all local self-governing institutions was designated as library cess. In accordance with that Act, State Library Councils and Zilla Grandhalaya Samsthas were constituted.
For over six decades, the cess has been collected without interruption. But gradually, the funds collected for that very purpose stopped being used for libraries. Though hundreds of crores of rupees were collected across the state every year as library cess, not even a tenth of it was given to libraries. Even the funds that were released were insufficient for basic library maintenance and staff salaries.
The number of libraries remained far fewer than needed, and the required staff strength was never met. The very thought of purchasing sufficient books and periodicals disappeared. Instead, misappropriation took place by buying cheap, substandard books at exorbitant prices from those who offered bigger commissions and kickbacks. The posts of chairpersons of the State Library Council and District Library Samsthas became political positions, rehabilitation centers for politicians.
Even in Telangana, which was born out of a people’s movement and as a result of widespread public awakening, the same Andhra Pradesh legacy has continued since 2014. In these eleven years, not a single rupee of the library cess has been given to libraries. Thus, no new libraries were established, no new books were purchased, hardly any newspapers were subscribed, and no adequate staff was recruited.
Neglect of libraries has continued as before. According to the 2011 Census, Telangana had 9,834 villages. Of these, there are only about 700 public libraries, 1,000 private libraries, and 2,000 institutional libraries. That means, on an average, not even one library for every three villages. And most of these are likely to be in towns and large villages. Which means nearly 8,000 villages—where about 80 percent of the state’s population lives—are still living in the 21st century without knowing what a library is. And yet, we boast of being a knowledge society!
Leave aside the villages. Even in Hyderabad, which prides itself as a “global city” with a population of over one crore, the total number of public, private, institutional, and special libraries barely crosses 300. Among them, public libraries are fewer than 60. Meanwhile, in 2024–25, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation alone collected ₹2,012 crore as property tax. Of this, ₹161 crore was library cess.
Did even a hundredth of that reach the city’s libraries? That itself is doubtful.
In this context, the foremost task of another library movement must be to demand of the government: “At least give to libraries the money you are already collecting in their name.” The minimum demand is: “Even if you give nothing extra, at least spend the funds you collect under the name of libraries for libraries themselves.”
Yet, even if funds come, will libraries automatically improve? It is like the old riddle: Which comes first, the seed or the tree? Without readers, libraries cannot thrive; without thriving libraries, readers will not come. Proper funding is only the first condition. If funds are released, library buildings will be repaired, staff will be appointed, broken and dilapidated chairs and tables will be replaced, a pleasant reading environment will emerge, new books can be bought, and more newspapers can be subscribed to.
But alongside the improvement of libraries, the reading culture among people must also grow. Readers—especially the youth—must realize: “The library belongs to us. It runs on the taxes paid by us and our parents. Therefore, we must use it fully.” To nurture and sustain this interest, not only should books and periodicals that appeal to the youth be available, but also, with advancing technology, digital reading facilities must be provided. Overall, society must develop traditions of reading, discussing, and sharing books together.
This task cannot be done merely with government funds, library facilities, or library staff. Society itself must do it. Readers, writers, critics, reading circles, publishers, newspapers, social media, booksellers—all must play their role in this effort. The awareness must spread into common social consciousness that a human life is only one, but a book brings together countless lives one cannot otherwise experience, and thus reading elevates human existence.
A book must not be seen as a decoration or compulsion, but as a willing invitation. Without such a broad and deep reading culture taking root in society, mere establishment and development of libraries will achieve nothing. The new library movement must play its part in creating and expanding such a reading culture.
This is how, a hundred years ago, in Telangana society, the library movement spread as a vehicle of public awakening. At that time, literacy in Telangana as a whole did not exceed six percent, and that too was perhaps confined to Hyderabad city and two or three towns. Yet libraries were established in many villages and towns. They became true centers of awareness, gathering the illiterate, reading aloud newspapers and books to them.
Vattikota Alwar Swamy started a publishing house and carried bundles of books on his head to remote villages. K.C. Gupta, to spread his book widely, founded the Ana Granthamala.
Now, a hundred years later, with literacy almost ten times higher, with numerous publishing houses, with significant increase in purchasing power—at least among some classes—why is it that we have not moved beyond the situation of a century ago? The occasion of another library movement should make us reflect on this.
