Highlights :
• P Sukumaran, from Kerala, has been a walking librarian for the last 41 years.
• He is going to at least 35 houses every day to deliver books to women and children.
One man in Karuvatta, Kerala’s Alappuzha, has been travelling 12 kilometers from house to house every day for the past 41 years. His only company is two backpacks stuffed with 60-70 books and a lunch brought from home.
Who is P Sukumaran ?
P Sukumaran is a ‘walking librarian’ who delivers books to women and children in roughly 35 homes in the Karuvatta and Kumarapuram grama panchayats. He is employed by the Kumarapuram Public Library, where he began working as a librarian in his early twenties in 1979.
So this is how he enjoys his work
“I adore reading,” the 61-year-old says, “and I find enjoyment in walking and reaching out to people, giving books and magazines.”
“During my daily walks, I get a lot of benefits. On my walk to work, for example, I get to experience nature and vegetation. Also, I am a person who enjoys talking a lot about what I have read, and visiting other houses allows me to communicate with and share this information with others, particularly youngsters,” adds Sukumaran, who holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from SD College in Alappuzha.
This public library, which opened in 1950 and is housed in a modest two-room structure, was previously regarded as one of the best in the area, but has been in decline for some time due to a fall in the number of visitors. Sukumaran decided to initiate the initiative of strolling and reaching out to readers by handing away books at that time.
“The library needed patrons, and the public needed good literature.” So, I reasoned, why not have the library reach out to the public? He continues, “That’s how I started my adventure 41 years ago.”
Sukumaran walks 12 kilometers every day from Monday to Saturday. At 8.30 a.m., he goes to the library, and about 10.30 a.m., he leaves to begin distributing books. He eats his lunch on the go and returns to the library around 4 p.m. He claims he can’t ride a bicycle and prefers to walk over any other method of transportation.
“Back when I was in college, I worked as a newspaper boy and walked considerable miles every morning to make deliveries. Since then, I’ve been accustomed to walking and seldom get fatigued,” he adds.
Motto of walking 12 km per day
Sukumaran claims that his purpose is to instill a love of books and the habit of reading in children. “I’ve always loved to read and have done so since I was a child. Every day, I used to read about 11 newspapers. Reading, in my opinion, makes you wiser, helps you better comprehend the world, and makes you a better human being. So, as an aware human being, I’m on a mission to do my part.”
Sukumaran’s attempts to reach out to his readers have aided the library’s survival through many difficult periods, he claims, and the number of library subscriptions has increased since then.
Sukumaran’s readers
Sukumaran’s readers are mostly women and children. He visits each home not only to provide books, but also to interact with the residents. He says he reads all of the books he lends out and attempts to match the material to the reader’s preferences.
“I don’t go to these places only to deliver books,” he explains. I spend a lot of time communicating with readers and talking about the books. I ask them questions or solicit their feedback, particularly with children, to ensure that they have read the book thoroughly and comprehended it.”
