The ‘Online Edition of India’s National Magazine’, The Hindu (Hindu.com):  has an interesting article about two very different libraries.   Here is an excerpt:

“One was set up in 1898 and the other in 2004. One was established in the context of the freedom movement and the other started to preserve its memoirs. Both were started by individuals, as private libraries. One still continues to be private. One has collections spanning 15th to 20th centuries and the other concerns itself essentially with the late 19th and 20th century works related to the Indian independence movement. Both the Sri Gowthami Regional Library (popularly called Gowthami Grandhalayam) and the Swatantra Samarayodhula Bhavanam (or India Independence Centre) are located in Rajahmundry, on the banks of Godavari.

History comes alive in many ways and at many levels whether through the well-preserved 1771 edition of Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Col. Mackenzie (Telugu) manuscripts at the Gowthami Grandhalayam, or the 100 volumes of Gandhi’s words, and writings on revolutionary Alluri Sitaramaraju at the IIC.”

 Read on…