India, Nov. 1 -- I was in Helsinki last month, as part of a Climate Solutions visit organised by the Finnish government. I was hoping the airport taxi driver would be chatty, that he'd tell me what to expect from the weather, at least list the good spots to eat. Ali didn't do any of that. Instead, he told me how he escaped the conflict in Somalia and ended up in Finland. "You should visit the public library," he said. "It's good." No one expects taxi drivers to recommend a library. I was intrigued. And so, I wandered there the next morning, my breath catching on the clean, frigid autumn air as I took in the sprawling three-storey ship-shaped Oodi Helsinki Central Library. Oodi is Finnish for Ode. The library opened in 2018, the 100th year of Finland's independence. "Oodi will be a centre for people and reading, a place for democracy and learning, and a gift for the 100-year-old Republic of Finland and for the Finns," Ritva Viljanen, jury chair and Helsinki's deputy mayor, had said. It's so much more. On the first floor(in Finland, that's the ground level) I expected to see bookshelves and some stern old lady ready to shush people. Instead, I saw a cafe, a warm buzz of visitors and chess tables. Every table was occupied with a father competing against his son, a grandfather against his grandson, friends against each other. So, where are the books? On the floor above? No luck. The second floor, Attic, had a set of 3-D printers, women brainstorming ideas in small glass cubicles, teens composing music in the studio and groups of locals playing video games in the gaming rooms. What kind of library is this? They even had sewing machines that members could use to mend or embroider their clothes. Yes, for free. It also lends members a drill for members who need a bit of home improvement. The books, ultimately, are on the third floor - more than 1 lakh titles, in about 20 languages. Of course, you'll be overwhelmed. That's why there's a crew of robots doing the stacking and retrieving. They even use the elevator. Even on this floor, you're allowed to be noisy. Serious readers can head to the silent rooms. Don't leave without visiting The Citizen's Balcony. It opens right to a view of the Parliament building across the street. A public library in prime location in a big city. That's how much the Finns value community, reading, ideas and shared resources. Oodi impressed a Somalian immigrant who'd made Helsinki his home. It certainly impressed a journalist from Mumbai....