Veteran CPI leader and lawyer V. B. Binu has been elected president of the Kottayam Public Library and chairman of the Children’s Library, according to a meeting of the library’s governing body held on Monday. The governing body also elected Oommen C. Vengal as vice‑president and a member of the governing body.
Binu succeeds Abraham Itticheriya, who served as president for more than four decades. He has held several posts in cultural organisations, including national secretary of the Association of Indian Political Science Organisations (AIPSO). In the public sector, he has acted as CPI Kottayam district secretary, chairman of the public sector undertaking Oil Palm India, and chairman and managing director of the daily Janayugom. He is currently a member of the CPI State Council and the State Secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).
The Kottayam Public Library was founded in 1882 by T. Ramarao, Diwan Peshkar of the former Travancore Kingdom. It holds about 250,000 books, a dedicated reference library for researchers and competitive‑examination aspirants, and a digital library.
The institution occupies multi‑storey buildings on Thirunakkara and Sastri Road, and features an active Children’s Library, four auditoriums, an art gallery, a senior‑citizen reading room and six additional reading rooms. A children’s park is also part of the complex.
