Kalaignar Centenary Library –

Madurai
On July 15, Chief Minister MK Stalin opened the Kalaignar Centenary Library in
honour of erstwhile Dravidian patriarch M Karunanidhi, who turned 100 years old
that day.

The Kalaignar Centenary Library, located on Natham Road in Madurai, was

bustling on Sunday afternoon, July 16. The previous day, MK Stalin, the chief
minister of Tamil Nadu, launched the library in observance of the 100th birthday
of his father, the late M Karunanidhi, the patriarch of the Dravidian people. By
Sunday, patrons from all over the city had descended upon the library to peruse
the many book shelves and select titles that piqued their interest.

A statue depicting Karunanidhi sitting with his legs crossed, a pen in his right hand
and a writing pad in his left, sporting his trademark black spectacles and a smile,
greets visitors to the structure. The yellow-tinted inscriptions Kalaignar

Kavin G | 991014011 | Vertical Design Studio | Kalasalingam School Of Architecture

Nootrandu Noolagam (Kalaignar Centenary Library) behind the statue contrast
sharply with an exposed brick wall made of red clay. The entryway is decorated
with parodies of Sangam literary classics and a reoccurring motif of the rising sun,
which is the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) emblem. One such "sun" has a
chandelier hanging from its centre, and the structure has three escalators that go
to separate library parts, giving it an opulent, majestic feel.A portion called
"Kalaignar Pirivu" on the ground level has Karunanidhi's artwork. Books about the
development and history of the Dravidian and self-respect movements are also
available in this area. A unique exhibition of images and paintings of colonial
Madurai, the erstwhile capital of the Pandya Kingdom, is also there. In addition,
there is a life-size sculpture on exhibit that shows a man training a jallikattu bull.

The 2.13 lakh square foot, Rs 120.75 crore edifice is modelled after the Anna
Centenary Library. The library, which had Shiv Nadar, the founder of HCL, and
Roshini Nadar, the chairwoman, as its special guests for the opening, contains a
kids' movie theatre, a science lab, a conference room, and is completely air-
conditioned. There are approximately 4,000 libraries in Tamil Nadu, but many of
them are in terrible condition despite the government's plan to construct a new
one, leading to requests to rebuild the ones that already exist.

Kavin G | 991014011 | Vertical Design Studio | Kalasalingam School Of Architecture

Kavin G | 991014011 | Vertical Design Studio | Kalasalingam School Of Architecture