Central metro station to feature book park from April 23

CHENNAI: A permanent book park will open at Chennai Central metro station on April 23. It will feature a vast collection of books, with more than 50 publishers and sellers displaying their works.

The 5,000 sqft area inside the station will house 70 bookshelves, a mini event hall, reading tables with comfortable seats, and a cafeteria. "Commuters can visit this park and read any book. If they like the book, they can buy it. All the books will have a 10% discount. The idea is to popularize books and encourage reading habit," an official from the school education department said.

Central metro station sees a daily footfall of up to three lakh passengers. The mini hall will host book release functions, reading sessions, and other events related to books.

"Renowned publishers like Penguin and HarperCollins are expected to display their books in the park, alongside popular Tamil publishers. Book sellers like Higginbotham's are also likely to sell their books here. The park will also give importance to comics, children's books, and other genres to attract youngsters," the official added.

Tamil Nadu textbook and educational services corporation will operate the book park based on a revenue-sharing model. Depending on the reception from commuters and the public, similar book parks may be established in other locations, too.

There is also a plan to set up kiosks across the state to sell textbooks and other books. "The textbook corporation is likely to establish 10 to 15 book kiosks in the first phase. The idea is to make the books printed by the textbook corporation available across the state," an official said.