Tamil book club inaugurated in London

[TamilNet, Sunday, 02 September 2012, 22:41 GMT]
With an initial collection of around one thousand books, a Tamil book club has been inaugurated in London on Sunday. The Lotus Book Club for buying, borrowing as well as reading Tamil books in London will be functioning at a facility near Woolwich Arsenal metro station. The opening ceremony, that saw participation of Eezham Tamils, Tamil Nadu Tamils, and Malaysian Tamils displayed a collection of books covering diverse topics such as Tamil history, linguistics, politics, evolution of the Tamil Eelam liberation struggle, literary classics etc.

Speakers and audience at the event heartily welcomed the formation of the institution, emphasising the need for Tamils in the diaspora to develop a healthy reading culture.

They also talked about the importance of a Tamil library as a social institution preserving important literature at a time when the nation of the Eezham Tamils face genocide in their homeland, stating that knowledge is as important as identity.

Some also referred to the Jaffna library burnt in 1981 by the government forces of Sri Lanka.

The library is part of the newly opened Lotus Club at 16-18 Burrage Road, Woolwich, London. The club that also has entertainment facilities is open only to members. The yearly membership to the club, with free car parking facilities, is 25 pounds.