Coimbatore-based NGO, The Arc Foundation, has partnered with the Coimbatore chapter of Young Indians (Yi), for their Dr. Kalam Library project. Their target is to open a hundred libraries named after the former President of India, by mid-October this year, in Coimbatore.

Baranidaran S., founder and Managing Trustee of the Arc Foundation, shares, “Under this project five libraries have been opened in the memory of our former president. By October 15 this year we have plans of opening 100 libraries in Coimbatore. We have partnered with Coimbatore Chapter of Yi and we aim to take our Dr. Kalam library project to a pan India level.”

Seconding him was Aparna M. A., Founder and Joint Managing Trustee of The Arc Foundation, who informs us that the Dr. Kalam library project will cover 82 corporation schools and 15 government schools. “We also have plans to set up a library in the orthopaedic ward of Government Hospital in Trichy Road, and a library each in in two orphanage homes in Coimbatore,” Aparna says.

In order to collect books for their hundred libraries, The Arc Foundation and Yi have plans of setting up collection boxes in shopping malls and stores with good footfalls. Collection boxes in 15 locations will be set up in Coimbatore.

The Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) Commissioner, Dr. Vijay Karthikeyan launched the poster of the Dr. Kalam library project, at a city mall today. An app too will be soon launched to monitor and supervise the one hundred libraries project.

Also at the event, the student volunteers of two city-based colleges presented a mime show and a puppet show. Through the shows, the students brought to light the India we live in today, and the Vision 2020 of A.P.J Abdul Kalam.