Sun Oct 19 18:29:12 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tamil Nadu Gets Its First Book Vending Machines at Major Railway Stations
Chennai, October 19, 2025 – Commuters in Chennai and Tambaram, Tamil Nadu, can now pick up a good read alongside their train tickets, thanks to the installation of new book vending machines at the Chennai Central and Tambaram railway stations. The innovative initiative, spearheaded by 26-year-old literature graduate Mayawathi G.V., aims to encourage reading habits among travelers.
Two vending machines are dispensing a curated selection of fiction, non-fiction, and children’s activity books. The machines, located on platform 6 of Chennai Central and at the west entrance of Tambaram station, offer 23 different titles with a capacity of 200 books each. The selections include international bestsellers like Khaled Hosseini and Evelyn Hugo, as well as English to Tamil translated books, all priced under ₹300. Payment is accepted via UPI.
“Bringing a book vending machine to Chennai has always been my dream,” says Ms. Mayawathi. “Trains and books go hand-in-hand, and Southern Railways has been very supportive.”
Ms. Mayawathi hopes to combat declining reading habits by providing convenient access to literature for travelers. “We realise that reading habits are dipping in cities, and we need to do something about it. So far, children’s activity books have been selling well. As books are also being bought past midnight, she plans to rotate titles and introduce genres to the tome trove.”
Initial reactions from commuters have been positive. “Honestly, we hadn’t thought of carrying a book on a train journey, but this initiative is gently nudging us to,” commented Jashwanth and Teja, corporate employees who encountered the vending machine at Chennai Central.
The book vending machines, which are already found in cities like Exeter, Tokyo, and Singapore, represent a novel approach to promoting literacy and providing entertainment for travelers on the go. This is the first instillation for Tamil Nadu.
First Piper 