A newly-opened library at the spot lets people borrow books by paying a small deposit. If the book is returned undamaged, only one rupee is deducted as rent, and the rest of the deposit is refunded.

In his twilight years, the library and his books remain his enduring companions. Nair doesn’t even use a mobile phone, as he prefers to be cut off from worldly distractions. For him, reading is ...

I could not help myself go ‘Wow’ as I went on to read that he ran an English newspaper from Kerala, towards the end of the 19th C. With that half-eaten halwa, I scrambled to my cousins to ...