BIOGRAPHY

P N Panicker

INTRODUTION

Puthuvayil Narayana Panicker is known as the Father of the Library Movement in Kerala. The activities of the Kerala Grandhasala Sanghom which was initiated by P. N. Panicker ignited a popular cultural movement in Kerala at the end of which the state acquired total literacy in the 1990s.

EARLY LIFE

Panicker was born on 1 March 1909, as the son of Govinda Pillai and Janaky Amma at Neelamperoor in Alappuzha District.^[1] A teacher by profession, he started Sanadanadharmam Library in his birthplace in 1926. Though his formal education had not reached high levels, he could do to society much more than many who were highly educated in his times.

CONTRIBUTIONS

Panicker took leadership in forming Thiruvithaamkoor Granthasala Sangham (Travancore Library Association) in 1945 with 47 rural libraries. The slogan of the Sangham was “Read and Grow”. Later, with the formation of Kerala State in 1956, it became Kerala Granthasala Sangham (KGS). He traveled across the villages of Kerala propagating the message of reading and inviting active involvement of people. He succeeded in bringing about 6000 libraries into this network. Grandhasala Sangham won the prestigious ‘Krupsakaya Award’ from UNESCO in 1975. He was the General Secretary of Sangham for 32 years, until 1977, when the Sanghom was taken over by the Kerala State Government. Now it is called the Kerala State Library Council, with an in-built democratic structure and funding from the State Government.

TURNING POINT

In the new face of Kerala Grandhasala Sangham as Kerala State Library Council, the founder of the organisation, P.N. Panicker was out owing to political interference. But Panicker needed to work further for the society, so, in 1977 he founded the Kerala Association for Non-formal Education and Development (KANFED). KANFED was highly instrumental in starting the Kerala State Literacy Mission which leads Kerala for its total literacy movement and Kerala became the first State which won total literacy.

He has also taken keen interest in promoting Agricultural Books Corner, Friendship Village Movement (Sauhrudagramam), Reading Programmes for Families, Grants for Books and building libraries and Best Reader’s Award P.N. Panickerfoundation.

DEATH

He died on 19 June 1995, at the age of 86.

READING DAY

At last the Government of Kerala stepped in at accept the contributions of P.N. Panicker and ordered to observe 19 June annually as Vayanadinam (Day of Reading) with a week-long series of activities at schools and public institutions to honour the contributions of P.N. Panicker to the cause of literacy, education and library movement.

HONORS

The Department of Posts honoured Panicker by issuing a commemorative postage stamp on 21 June 2004.

His birth centenary is celebrated under the auspices of P. N. Panicker Foundation in 2010