At a time when Tamil magazines, especially serious literary magazines, are struggling to stay afloat, the Tamil Nadu government has offered a helping hand by taking them for public libraries across the State. The government has also decided to subscribe to internationally renowned English magazines for the benefit of students preparing for competitive examinations.

“The aim is to provide an opportunity for broad-based reading. Book racks should have space for specialised books along with books of arts and literature. There should be books on agriculture, environment and Tamil computing so that students can pursue a subject close to their heart. A person sitting in a district library should read magazines read by a senior officer in Chennai,” said T. Udayachandran, Secretary to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

Funds remained a problem for purchase of books. The District Library Authorities even struggled to run their daily activities as the local bodies have not paid library tax in full. The libraries were not able to subscribe to magazines vital for those who prepare for civil services and other competitive examinations.

Mr. Udayachandran found a solution by getting funds from the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation (TNTB&ESC). Subsequently, it released ₹2.35 crore for purchase of English magazines and another ₹1.01 crore for Tamil magazines for 2021-22.

“While the government is committed to taking the readership to a higher level, it has decided to give an opportunity to the publishers of magazines of quality content, who were not able to get library orders for some reasons. The financial conditions of the Local Library Authority did not allow us to subscribe to internationally renowned magazines such as The Economist. The sponsorship from TNTB&ESC will help us get them for libraries,” said Elambahavath, nodal officer of the ‘Illam Thedi Kalvi’ programme, launched by the government to bridge the learning gap caused by COVID-19.

Besides The Economist, the libraries will get National Geographic, Reader’s Digest and magazines such as Economic and Political Weekly and Frontline. “We are also going to review the list of magazines which are being supplied to libraries. We will include good magazines that have been left out,” Mr. Elambahavath said.

The government’s order to buy literary magazines has taken its publishers by surprise.

“I have received an order for supplying 450 magazines for libraries without my applying for it. Other magazines also received similar orders. I congratulate the State government on its support to little magazines,” Azhagiyasingar, editor of Naveena Virutcham, posted on his Facebook.

Kannan Sundaram of Kalachuvadu said the order came as a ray of hope for publishers of small magazines that were sustained by private subscriptions. “It will encourage them to bring out the magazine periodically,” he said.