A view of the branch library set up by the Directorate of Public Libraries in collaboration with the Environmentalistic Foundation of India at the Marina Beach in Chennai. | Photo credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
On the service road along Marina Beach, where the traffic of Kamarajar Salai falls to the rhythm of the rolling waves, a small branch of the library and an environmental NGO have opened an unusual channel of communication with the sea.
In collaboration with the Environmentalistic Foundation of India (EFI), the Directorate of Public Libraries (DPL) has created an ‘Ocean Station’ – part reading corner – part awareness center – for marine awareness. At its heart stands a modest mailbox with an invitation that seems almost radical in the digital age: “Kadalukku Oru Kaditham” (Letter to the sea).
The idea is romantic in the old sense of the word: to believe that the sea can listen. But the intent, says EFI founder Arun Krishnamurthy, is deeper. “In a city like Chennai, once you stand on the beach, it becomes peaceful, almost spiritual. You lose yourself. People naturally talk to the ocean, try to connect with it. That connection with the ocean is deep within us. We’re just giving people the opportunity to express it,” he says. For organizers, the mailbox is also a creative engagement tool.
It is a way of reaching out to people in a very creative way because they also know that the sea is not responsive, says B. Chandramohan, secretary, school education department. “So what it’s basically doing is getting people to communicate. If they had something to say to the sea, what would they say. In a way, it’s also an attempt to get people to connect with nature,” explains Mr Chandramohan.
Only four letters were sent in eight months. Yet each letter is seen as a silent testimony of people opening up – often anonymously – in the public space. The Ocean Station itself is the result of a collaborative effort: EFI approached the county library official, the government renovated an old building, and EFI mobilized resources to fill the campus with material on marine life, ocean wealth, and conservation. Today, the library has become a hub for EFI’s ocean awareness activities.
V. Thennavan, who came across the library on a recent visit to Marin, recalls visiting a small aquarium in the area as a child. “That’s a nice idea, especially when writing is in decline. The library doesn’t just make people read, this mailbox encourages them to write. Writing down thoughts and feelings helps people immensely. I personally benefit from journaling,” she says.
Beyond the modest library building, the Bay of Bengal stretches endlessly – eternal, unreadable and patient. And somewhere between the waves and the wind, the sea quietly waits for the next letter.
Published – 12 Feb 2026 0:35 AM IST