Literacy Movement Architecture: Commemorating the Father of Kerala's Library and Literacy Movement to Deepen Reading Culture
Honoring the profound historical legacy of one of the subcontinent's most transformative social reformers, Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan officially released the biographical book titled ‘The Library Man of India: The Story of P.N. Panicker’. Hosted inside the formal framework of the Uprashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi, the book launch pays tribute to the systemic structural shifts introduced by Panicker to institutionalize total literacy across southern India.
The Rural Library Mesh and the 'Read and Grow' Slogan
The historical profile tracks the emergence of rural knowledge grids that laid the foundation for Kerala's human development achievements:
- The Father of Literacy Movements: P. N. Panicker is globally revered as the **definitive father of Kerala’s Library and Literacy Movement**, celebrated for moving book collections out of royal elite universities into democratic rural village chambers.
- The 1945 Sanatana Dharma Genesis: Panicker initiated his monumental mass education campaign in **1945 by founding the Sanatana Dharma Library** in his hometown. He subsequently led the creation of the **Kerala Granthasala Sangham (Library Association)**, which grew to link over 4,000 rural libraries into a single coordinated network.
- The 'Read and Grow' Mandate: Deploying his iconic baseline slogan “Vayichu Valaruka” (Read and Grow), Panicker walked across tribal networks and remote agricultural blocks, framing literacy not merely as a school metric but as an essential tool for human liberation and democratic awareness.
- National Reading Day Statutory Status: Recognizing his structural contribution to national building, the Union Government officially designated his birth anniversary on **June 19 as National Reading Day in India**, launching a mandatory annual month-long reading festival across all public schools.
For TNPSC and Education History candidates, tracking this book release is highly high-yield under 'Famous Historical Biographies, Evolution of Literacy Frameworks in India, Human Development Models, and Statutory National Days'.