The smell of hundreds of books, touched and felt by human hands, envelops us like a familiar hug when we step into Choose & Read Lending Library on Trichy Road. Walking past its wooden shelves bearing Secret Sevens and Famous Fives is like going back in time to one’s school days. Many children in the city grew up reading books from Choose & Read, that is among the oldest existing libraries in Coimbatore. Almost 40 years old, it is now on the cusp of change, all set to enter the digital world through a mobile application. But first, we hear it from the founder about how it all began.
A young reader at the library
| Photo Credit:
Siva Saravanan S
S A Noorul Ameen was in his teen years when his father sold books in a push cart in 1979 by the Teacher’s Training College near Clock Tower. “He was a Tamil teacher, and was well-read,” recalls the 60-year-old. “The two of us would visit scrap dealers in the city to buy books people discarded,” he says, adding that they would walk all the way up to Vadavalli and back in search of good books. This collection formed Noor Book Stall.
In 1983, the book stall moved to Eswaran Kovil Street in Kottaimedu. “It was around this time that we decided to take back books that people bought from us, for 50% of its cost,” he says. This practice gave way to a dedicated shelf on their cart for books that could be borrowed. “We stocked books by Sandilyan and Kalki that we bought at the book fair at Town Hall,” says Noorul. Soon, their collection increased, so did their customers.
In 2010, they had over 4,000 members, with new ones joining every day
| Photo Credit:
Siva Saravanan S
Noorul found the idea appealing; one that let people read multiple books for a fraction of their cost. He realised this was what he wanted to do — lend books to people. In 1986, he took a 6×16 sq ft room for rent on Trichy Road, lining the cramped space with books that he bought for ₹50,000. “I stocked a lot of Tamil books by authors who were popular during the time, such as Akilan, Rajesh Kumar, Balakumaran, Ramani Chandaran, and Sivasankari.” He also had an interesting mix of English novels by Jeffrey Archer, Enid Blyton, and Archies and Asterix comics that he bought from Mumbai.
The library was first set up in a 6×16 sq ft space on Trichy Road
| Photo Credit:
Siva Saravanan S
Writer Rajesh Kumar was present on their opening day. “We knew each other from our book stall days,” recalls Noorul. On day one, Choose & Read managed to get 53 members. “Some of them are with us to this day,” he adds: “Such as no. 9, Nimmi, no. 45 Duraisami.” Like all efficient librarians, Noorul never forgets the card number of his regulars. Back then, they had an ‘entrance fee’ of ₹25. Today though, they have membership schemes starting from ₹500.
S A Noorul Ameen, the founder of Choose & Read Lending Library
| Photo Credit:
Siva Saravanan S
The library moved to a bigger place nearby in 1993, that was right opposite St Joseph’s Matriculation School. “We were there till 2013,” he adds. This was among their best years. Noorul recalls how summer holidays would be like festivals, with children jostling for space inside, eager to borrow the popular titles before their friends got to them. “We would launch several offers, giving away gifts such as bags,” he says.
Noorul kept adding bestsellers to his list, never missing out on book reviews in newspapers. He knew the pulse of the reader, and what each writer was good at. In 2010, they had over 4,000 members, with new ones joining every day. Today though, it is a completely different story. They get just around 10 walk-ins a day. “Children don’t seem to read anymore; adults too,” rues Noorul.
Despite not making much profits, he wants to keep the library afloat. Having spent a major portion of his life amidst books, some amount of romanticism has seeped into him from their pages. Noorul talks about how one should take in the smell and texture of a book before setting out to reading it, just like how one takes in the aroma of food on a plate before a meal. “Books are life itself, something that should be an essential part of society for its betterment,” he says.
Noorul’s son S N Niyaz Ahamed has now taken over the reins and is in the process of adding their list of over 60,000 titles into the digital space. “A mobile application is in the works, through which one can borrow books that will be delivered at their doorstep,” he explains. “Readers can also recommend the books they wish to read on the app.“ It is set to be launched soon and will hopefully give a new lease of life to Choose & Read’s books, that are wrapped in crisp plastic covers just like the old days.
Published – May 05, 2025 05:13 pm IST
