Tuticorin
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Institutions
Ponmariappan, hairdresser’s library
Padmini Sivarajah, Dec 27, 2019 The Times of India
Deprived of education, P Ponmariappan, a hairdresser in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin, is determined to ensure that youths inculcate the habit of reading. Therefore, the school dropout set up a library in his salon which now has a collection of over 800 books and offers a 30% discount to customers who read the books and provide genuine feedback.
The 38-year-old could not study beyond Class VIII due to poverty. But he cultivated the habit of reading and it was after reading ‘Puthagamae Thunnai’ (book is a good companion) that he got the idea displaying books in his shop.
“I started collecting books and encouraged youngsters to read them,’’ he said. Ponmariappan made sure that they read books while waiting for a haircut.
Youngsters, who used to be hooked to their cellphones, at first got annoyed with his requirement. “We spend so much time with our textbooks, and now he is forcing us to read books,” complained a customer. To ensure that the students read at least a few pages, he makes them write the gist of what they have read in a small book he keeps. “This encourages others to read the same book,” he said.
S Ramakrishnan, Ponmariappan’s favourite author, has appreciated his efforts, while Tuticorin MP Kanimozhi has donated 50 books to his collection.
