A bust of Mahatma Gandhi and portraits of the stalwarts of the Library Movement greet visitors at the entrance of the Sarada Grandhalaya (library) at Anakapalli, about 40 km from Visakhapatnam. The library has been serving students, researchers and book lovers for over eight-and-half decades now.
The Korukonda Brothers—Linga Murthy and Butchiraju—who were followers of the Gandhian philosophy, donated their 700 square yards (6,300 sft) of land and established a trust named ‘Gandhi Ashram’.
A building was constructed in 1930 and, six years later, a library was opened in it. Four years later, the Gandhi Khaddar Society was also established in the same building. Today, the library has a collection of over 35,000 books on various subjects.
