A non-profit institution, Bapuji Vachanalayam in the district headquarters town has the distinction of functioning uninterruptedly for more than 70 years. The library can boast of operating without any hiccups since its inception and perhaps the only such library in the State.

Located on the busy Bodhan road on huge premises the ‘vachanalayam’ (library) was set up by freedom fighters when the ‘granthalayodyamam’ (movement for libraries) was at its peak before independence. Thereafter, it was expanded with the financial assistance extended by the Domakonda dominion.

The library thus has 90 shopping rooms, two fuel stations on its three-acre land which is centrally located. It is being run by a 13 member trust now headed by Bantu Rajeswar, on sound lines without seeking any financial help from the Government.

The library has a huge competitive books section besides wide range of literature. All magazines, weeklies and monthlies and newspapers are available at the library and one can see many readers browsing through the book and magazines all through the day. “A number of students who prepared for various exams using the books and magazines available at the Bapuji Vachanalayam are now positioned comfortable in good jobs. They often come to the library to express their gratitude. We are proud of this library as it is being run for over seven decades without any hiccups,’ says Mr. Rajeswar.

The trust while maintaining this old and reputed library has been helping in the form of distribution of books to other libraries and also homes for the aged in the district. It is believed that the trust which maintains distance from politics and is represented by retired teachers is healthy because of these two reasons.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> National> Andhra Pradesh / by P. Ram Mohan / Nizamabad – April 02nd,  2014