'On the way back home, we didn't talk much unlike the onward journey as each of our minds were occupied with our new experience'

My Visit to Anna Centenary Library

M. Dhanavaishnavi | I MA English

It was the day, when my friends and I, had a rewarding day, spending a holiday fruitfully. Friday was declared as holiday and we did not want the day to wither away.

We decided to visit the Anna Centenary library which had been on our to-do list for quite some time.

We started our day early like going to college and boarded the suburban train from Tambaram to Guindy, and then a small ride in an auto from the railway station to the front gate of the Anna library.

This was my first-time visiting Anna Centenary Library after many years. The entrance vividly brought back the nostalgic memories.

The weather was so welcoming as the mild sun hid behind the drizzling clouds. We entered the abode of knowledge and wisdom with notepad and pen as companions.

The notebook in the entry door recorded people’s entry and we happily entered our names in the notebook. The noticeboard was the first thing that got the attention, it contained details of coaching classes happening for civil services exam and the private room for reading our own books.

Soon we found that the fourth floor was our destination where English literature books were awaiting the presence of readers.

We reserved the invitations of other sections of library for our next visit.

The elevator elevated us to the fourth floor and the whole view of avid readers with sound mind in the silent library prepared us for the better.

The vista was so welcoming and lot of books were stacked under different sections like books of the month and reader’s picks. This would be of great help for those who cannot arrive at a conclusion as to what to read.

The books were well-organized in arrangement so no one will end up rummaging. The seats were of various kinds as per the reader’s choice to make them comfortable; as we were a trio, we occupied a whole table. The beauty of nature can be witnessed from the corner seat and rightfully I placed myself there.

The consensus of our visit was to collect data for our class presentations. Every rack had an index in the front for identifying the books categorized as per the divisions.

We were able to find the required texts at ease without any difficulty. We were engaged with the texts for about three hours while gazing around at intervals and made notes as per our understanding. I was so happy to get hold of books that helped me in better understanding.

We didn't even notice the passage of time and I turned around to look at the others around me, and found that some were still reading, while some piled up more books and a few recessed. Reading and thinking really drains energy and we went out to have our lunch.

We strolled for a while and ended up in a restaurant, ate to our heart's content and had ice-cream on the way back. After lunch I didn't want to sit and read so, I acquainted myself with other sections such as contemporary literature, language and linguistics and so on. We decided to leave at around five in the evening.

On the way back home, we didn't talk much unlike the onward journey as each of our minds were occupied with our new experience.

I started my preparations for presentations the next day. It was at that time I realized the significance of visiting library and that internet sources are but a facet and learning is beyond that. I could precisely trace the difference in my approach to the text after reading from various sources.

The day was well spent and its effect is evident in us and we promised to visit again soon. Walter Savage Landor has rightly said that, “Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a Library” which is indeed true and I am looking forward to much more exploring!

Thank you.