The sun burns the Jaffna peninsula. It devours every last droplet of moisture. If one seeks the feeling of pinpricks of heat as they visibly bake one’s skin to darker shades, or redder for some, I recommend a high noon walk on the ramparts of the
Jaffna fort. I admit that afternoons are pretty, with its much-glorified auburn light, but there is something to be said for seeing the city and the sea slumber under a shimmering (and yes you can see the shimmering), blanket of heat. Of the few structures that pierce this blanket, the most imposing is the Dravidian style, crisp white dome of the Jaffna library. Set in the heart of the city of Jaffna, it is a palatial structure, dwarfing all other buildings around it. It dominates both the physical and the cultural landscape of the peninsula. There is much to be discussed when you take up this library, but for now let us stroll through the present institution…
A stroll through the Public Library of Jaffna, and some reflections on knowledge, culture and the open space to question, create and dissent