NEW DELHI: In his first address in the second edition of the monthly show 'Mann ki Baat', the Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned about Kerala. The mention is about a library in Kerala run by a tea shop owner. The library named ‘Akshara’ is situated deep inside the woods of Idukki and the PM came across it through his reading

“Now that we are conversing about reading, then in some extension of media, I had read about the Akshara Library in Kerala. You will be surprised to learn that this library lies in a village nestling within the dense forests of Idukki. A Primary school teacher, P.K.Muralidharan and P.V.Chinnathampi who runs a small tea shop, have between them worked tirelessly for this library. There was a time when the books were brought here stuffed in sacks and carried on the back. Today this library is a beacon guiding tribal children on a new path”, Narendra Modi said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also pitched for the conservation of rainwater, saying there is a pressing need to make it a mass movement on the lines of the cleanliness drive.