Overview

• Kerala State Library Council has launched a state-level Reading Week from June 19 to July 7 featuring library events, author talks and mobile book vans.
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared June 19 as National Reading Day in 2017 to elevate Panicker’s Kerala-based literacy movement to a national platform.
• Panicker opened Kerala’s first public library, the Sanadanadharmam Library, in 1926 and spearheaded grassroots efforts to expand access to books.
• His Travancore Library Association, founded in 1945, later became the Kerala Granthsala Sangham and was formalized as the Kerala State Library Council in 1977.
• Day-of programs emphasize books’ role in holistic development and invite communities to join reading circles, swap recommendations and visit public libraries.