Reading station: Chennai Central Metro now has a ‘book park'
On the way to the ticket counter at Chennai's bustling Central metro station, you can see a cosy 'book park' that promises to offer serendipity. Nestled between a pharmacy and an eatery, the 5,000 sq.ft. Chennai Book Park features a chequered grey and blue carpet, glass walls, and is fully air-conditioned. A joint initiative of the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation and Chennai Metro Rail Limited, the facility has been built at a cost of ₹1.85 crore.
Featuring over a dozen publishers — Katha Books, Vitasta, and Kalachuvadu Publications, to name a few — the facility has more than 10,000 titles in English and Tamil, including mainstream bestsellers from Higginbotham's. What catches the eye is the sea of books for children, ranging from illustrated works to books for learning. 'Tamil Nadu is the first state in India to have a book store inside a metro station. The main objective here is to promote reading,' says Sankara Saravanan, Joint Director, Tamil Nadu Textbook Corporation.
The initiative will look to cash in on the large number of passengers — around 20,000 a day as of March 2024 — who pass through Central Metro, and will hopefully serve as a model for similar enterprises across the country. 'I was surprised to come across this store during my commute. I find the collection interesting and it's a great opportunity to buy books for my children,' said Jayamani, a mother of two. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the facility also has a cafeteria and a mini hall for book-related events.
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