Hyderabad: As a gesture of gratitude towards his alma mater, Osmania University (OU), former minister Ponnala Lakshmaiah has constituted an annual gold medal for students excelling in the department of library and information science. He met OU vice-chancellor Prof. Kumar Molugaram on Wednesday and handed over a cheque for Rs 5.50 lakh as a deposit. The interest from this endowment will fund the gold medal, which will be awarded from the upcoming convocation.During the meeting, Prof. Kumar thanked the former minister for his thoughtful gesture, noting that such contributions from alumni strengthen the university’s mission of academic excellence. During their discussion about the university development, Lakshmaiah also offered his support to modernise the university library.Sharing his lifelong passion for libraries, Lakshmaiah reminisced about his childhood in Kilashapur village, where he worked as a part-time librarian for a modest monthly salary of ₹1 while he was in his fifth grade. This early exposure, he revealed, kindled his enduring love for books and learning, which shaped his educational and professional journey, including his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from OU.Earlier in the day, Lakshmaiah attended the closing ceremony of National Library Week at OU’s Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Memorial Library. As part of the event, he visited a book exhibition organised to commemorate the occasion. Dr Achala Munigal, the in-charge librarian of OU’s Main Library, also participated in the programme.
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