By Shakira Shareef   We caught up with the Founder of the Lakmahal Community Library Anisha Dias Bandaranaike and asked her about what started it all off.   Q: Who’s Anisha Dias Bandaranaike? A: This is a hard question for me to answer. I don’t know what to say. I think my answers to the other questions will give you a sense of who I am.   Q: What is Lakmahal? A: Lakmahal used to be my family’s old home, built by my great grandparents in the 1930s. It’s where my mother and grandmother grew up and it’s always been a place where people enjoyed literature. It’s been a place of community where people would gather and talk and explore ideas. I wanted to do something with our half of the house that honoured that history and served the community in some way. So now, the Lakmahal Community Library is meant to be a nonprofit place that encourages and allows people to engage with the literary arts, through a lending library, events, and workshops. Our home has become a place to unwind, learn, and just chill with a book.   Q: Did you dream of creating your own library when you were a kid or was this sudden? A: It’s not something I’ve always dreamt of but I also wouldn’t call it sudden. It’s something that grew out of my interests and experiences – my love for reading and creative writing, my belief in the importance of creative works in expanding people’s understanding of the world, my experiences in university, and my love for Lakmahal. Honestly, it also grew out of the privilege I have in being able to do something like this instead of needing to rent the place.   Q: Have you always been fond of books? A: Yes, from the time I was a child, I have loved reading. I was the kind of child who would get into trouble in school for reading a book in class. I had a massive collection of books. I would go to every book sale I could find and my favourite birthday presents were always books.   Q: What are your favourite books and why? A: Even this is hard to answer because I love so many books for different reasons and I could go on forever about them. But for the sake of brevity, I will pick just five, in no particular order:   1) ‘Call Me By Your Name’ by Andre Aciman – this book is beautifully written and deeply emotional. It’s a coming-of-age novel that I think really captures the intensity and complexity of first love. It’s the kind of book I wish I could write.   2) ‘Exhalation’ by Ted Chiang – every short story in this collection is masterfully constructed and well thought out. Each story deeply considers some central idea in a nuanced way, and every idea is fascinating and thought-provoking. I don’t read a lot of short stories, but this book really showcases the strengths of the form and makes me want to read more of them.   3) ‘The Story of a Brief Marriage’ by Anuk Arudpragasam – this book is about a young man in the North during the last stages of the civil war. It is profoundly empathetic and heartbreaking and feels like a glimpse into the heart of the human experience.   4) ‘Invisible Women’ by Caroline Criado Perez – this book looks at the deep male default bias in how the world is designed in many different spheres. It truly changed the way I think about everything, and I think everyone in the world should be required to read this book.   5) ‘A Rogue of One’s Own’ by Evie Dunmore – I love historical romance novels but am also very picky about them because it’s very easy for them to lean into sexist tropes that bother me. This is one of the best ones I’ve read. The characters are compelling, and their dynamic is entertaining. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to try out the genre.   Q: How does Lakmahal Community Library work? How can one get a membership? A: The Lakmahal Community Library is open to everyone. Members of the library can borrow books, though you don’t need to be a member to come and read at the location. Membership can be monthly (LKR 500 per month) or annual (LKR 5,000 per year), with a three-month minimum. For the first three months, members can borrow one book at a time and, after that, can borrow up to six books at a time. In addition, members may receive a discount on ticketed events and priority registration. Anyone can sign up for a membership by visiting the library or registering at lakmahal.lk/become-a-member.   Q: What is the library’s specialty? What are the other services offered here? A: Right now, we are focusing on building up the collection and making a wide variety of books accessible to people. However, in the coming year, we hope to start hosting monthly talks and panels about literature and writing, conduct creative writing workshops, establish several book clubs, and carry out various other events to inspire people to write and share their writing, such as open mic nights.   Q: What are the genres of books available at the library? Are you planning to expand? A: The library’s focus is on creative works. Currently, we have an extensive collection of fiction in a variety of genres – South Asian, science fiction and fantasy, mystery and thriller, romance, young adult, short stories, and general. We also have some poetry and plays. In addition, we have some creative non-fiction – primarily biographies and memoirs. Because the space is small, it might be difficult to expand, but we hope to keep growing our collection of creative works.   Q: One word to define this beautiful space? A: I don’t think I can sum it all up in one word!   Q: What are the steps to follow when setting up a library? A: Setting up the library was a complicated process. There were many different types of elements that needed to be addressed, such as the physical space, the book collection, the legal and financial systems, the operational processes, the website, online library systems, the communication plan, and others. The main advice I have is to find a group of people who are as passionate as you and who are willing to give their time and energy to the project. I could not have set up the Lakmahal Community Library without all of the people who volunteered their time to the project, especially the people on our board of directors – Priyanthi Fernando, Ameena Hussein, Dhananath Fernando, and Chalani Ranwala. I also could not have done it without all of the work my parents put in to help me with the project. This is not the kind of project that can be done alone and I am very fortunate to have worked with such dedicated people. Author description: Shakira Shareef is a freelance writer from Kandy, Sri Lanka. She writes on various topics and is passionate about Sri Lankan travel, culture, and lifestyle. IG: @writershakira LinkedIn: Shakira Shareef PHOTOS © ANISHA DIAS BANDARANAIKE