The historic old building of the P.K. Memorial Grandhasala at Ambalappuzha in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, the first library registered with the Kerala Grandhasala Sangham, is set to regain its lost glory, thanks to the Alappuzha district panchayat which has promised funds for restoring the eight-decade-old two-storey structure.
District panchayat president K.G. Rajeshwari said the renovation work would be carried out to preserve the historical significance of the building. “We have prepared a project. It will be submitted for approval next week,” she says.
The history of the library, which played a significant role in the library movement in Kerala, dates back to 1936. “It was established by the people of Karoor in Ambalappuzha. They named it Justice P.K. Vilasam Grandhasala in honour of Sahitya Panchanan P.K. Narayana Pillai. The library was closed after a few months. P.N. Panicker [known as the Father of the Library Movement in Kerala] who came to Ambalappuzha as a school teacher led the efforts to revive it. The rechristened P.K. Vilasam Grandhasala began functioning in a rented room near the west gate of the Sree Krishna Swamy temple, Ambalappuzha, in August 1937. It was later renamed P.K. Memorial Grandhasala,” says K.P. Krishnadas, president of the library.
