THE NEWS NOW MAGAZINE PUBLISHED ON 28/MAY/2017
THE IGNORED
TREASURE
by: SAHIL RASGOTRA
Libraries.
Some call them ‘raucous clubhouses for free speech’ and some ‘delivery rooms
for the birth of ideas’. Many have warned us time and again that sans
libraries, we have ‘no past and no future’ while many others have assured us
that with them, ‘we have best protection against tyranny, xenophobia and
ignorance’. My personal favourite is a quote from the great Albert Einstein
which goes like this- “The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the
location of the library.” However, what he didn’t talk about was what happens
inside it and how.
Ever since the public-library system
started in country around 1910, we have around two dozen states of present era
that has laws enacted regarding establishment of libraries open to the public.
A century later, we sit in the largest democracy of the world without much to
boast about our libraries. While there is no exact figure available, owing to
large, diverse nation that India is, Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation, a trust
which funds public libraries and comes under the aegis of the Ministry of
Culture pegs the number at Thirty-five thousand libraries. Before we get happy,
it is to be noted that calculating the ratio of library per people, the number
is not so good at one library per 36000 people. Nations like China and United
States of America boasts of a better figure at one library per 25000 people and
19000 people, respectively. With the advent of technology and its
accessibility to common masses, many have taken to internet for the purposes
which libraries used to serve back in the day. The books with a distinct smell
of paper have been replaced with e-books available on smart phones and
computers easily, while every newspaper or magazine today is available online
which one can access anytime of the day, sitting anywhere and this has marred
the entire concept of public library, drastically. The only section of society
whose connect with libraries remained unaffected was the generation of people
too old to transform their old school habits of reading into digital tablet
readers, and students who are still dependent upon these institutions for
preparing for academics and competitive purposes. The libraries, however, hold an
advantage which not many others reading platforms can match- that of rare and
special books and manuscripts. These books, most of which are one of their
kinds are priceless in the way that it is near impossible to find them anywhere
else in the open market as well as in famous collections worldwide. Not only
such books tell us timeless tales on different subjects including law,
spirituality, religion, academics, history, health, politics, culture and art,
written by local, national and international authors, but some of them are also
the first edition copies, adding more to their value.
The chapter of libraries in the state of
Jammu and Kashmir begun as early as in 1879 when Maharaja Ranbir Singh, then
ruler of state launched state’s first public library named after himself, Sri
Ranbir Singh Central Library at Kachi Chawni, followed by SPS Library at
Srinagar in 1898 by Maharaja Pratap Singh. In 1904, the Department of Research
& Publication was established and in 1961, a separate Department of
Libraries, Research & Museum was created in J&K and district libraries
were set up at Srinagar, Anantnag, Baramulla, Leh, Doda and Udhampur. As of
today, a total of 137 public libraries are functional across the state, open
for general public. Of these, 70 are in different districts of Kashmir region,
followed by 56 in Jammu region and 11 in Ladakh region.
We visited the oldest of the lot, SRS
Central Library, to know more. The 138 years old school building still exudes
the classic architecture and serenity of its kind. There is reasonable number
of people in its reading room, majorly being school and college students who
have brought with them their own books, making full use of quietness it
provides. The library, on the left side, however, reeks of silence of a
different kind. A couple of minutes later, chief librarian Irwin Kour Raina
starts telling more about this historic library, “The library boasts of an
amazing collection of books besides some of the most rare books and manuscripts
which sit as the crown in the diamond studded this place wears in the list of
all libraries in the state.” Some of these books, as Raina informs,
includes The Valley of Kashmir by Walter R. Lawrence (1895), Aiane-i-Akbari by
Abu-Fazl (1274), Shah Nama Firdousi by Wazir Anjum (1874), Mohezzan Alldarya by
Mohammad Hussain Shezayi (1382), Kitabul-muqads Bible Naya Meezan Ahad Nama by
Babu Rai Baroda Kanth (1824), Karaya Deen Rahimi Yaney Media Medica by Rahim
Khan (1847), Aien- Hath se Likhi Gayi Kitab (1842), The Golden Book of India by
Sir Roper Letwbridge (1893), the Tourists Guide to Kashmir, Ladakh, Shardo and
Co. by Arthur Neve Ed. (1923), Tarikh Aqwam Poonch by Mohammad Din Mouq (1936),
Wall Street to Cashmere by John B. Ireland (1859), The History of the World;
from the creation of the World by Samuel Shuckford (1727), The Marriage of his
Highness: The Yovaraja of Mysore - Photo Albums (1910), Boasholi Painting by
M.S.Randhawa (1959) and many others. Some of them (not mentioned here) are so
old that they can’t put a specific date on them. The library with total number of titles
standing at 64920 books has a total of 12470 registered members over the years,
which is a significant number in itself. However, the enrollment of new members
has seen a steady decline in past few years. “In last one decade, the number of
new members enrolled each year has changed from 220-250 odd to 120-140
members,” Raina informs, adding that majority of these are students preparing
for competitive and academics exam and some senior members for whom visiting
library has become a routine. The reason for this decline is obvious, the
present generation has grown up to be technically advanced and visiting library
has become ‘inconvenient’ for something which they could do sitting back home.
Breathing Life Back Into
Libraries
In a bid to revive the dying libraries
across India, National Mission on Libraries (NML) came into being in 2014, the
Union government allocating Rupees 400 crore for mission over next three years.
While as many as 8 states and Union Territories didn’t even bother to apply for
the money available, others who did couldn’t spend all of what was made
available to them. Such is the state of affairs in this country. Our state
didn’t find place in list of most efficient ones, however, it doesn’t features
in that of least efficient as well. Sitting at 17th position, Jammu
and Kashmir has spent 27.20 percent of the available funds, just above the
national average. The efforts have been made by authorities at state level but
do they reflect? We asked Raina who tells, “Of course
they do. Not only NML, the state authorities have embarked on this journey long
time back. We have fully functional websites here, online catalogues, details
of manuscripts, journals and other essential information. Department of
Libraries & Research has started implementation on the Automation &
Networking of Public Libraries Project way back in 2011 and most of our
collection has been digitalized, available online for readers to read.” It was
also added that department is regularly tapping into resources to scale up
infrastructure, buy more books, digitise existing books and train staff.
However, all these efforts have not been
as successful as expected. The number of new members joining the library has
been consistently low all these years and that of citizens, others than
students, joining as members is reducing seriously. The department, it seems,
has also admitted to this fact and has concentrated its efforts in a direction
more specific to students. From this year onwards, free of cost, coaching
classes for preparation of competitive exams like NEET, JEE, PMT, CET and Civil
services as well as over 2500 plus hours of video lectures, 75,000 questions
with answers, 150 e-books and hard books have been made available at SRS
Central library and others government libraries across the state.
While all this is commendable, one
cannot ignore the grey shades in the picture.
The Bad Books
As if things were not bad enough
already, some elements concerning these libraries as well as many beneficiaries
have stooped down low enough to put a blot on the functioning of these
institutions. In what can be termed as absolutely horrible administration,
hundreds of books, most being rare, have gone missing from the collection of
some of the major libraries in the state in past one decade or so.
In an RTI application filed by Raman
Sharma, a prominent RTI activist of the city, it was revealed that as many as
2400 books have been damaged in the historic Sri Ranbir Singh Central Library
in a period of 10 years, from 2005-2015. Not only this, but in same period, 327
rare books borrowed from library by the members were not returned back. While
the rules of library allow members to borrow books only for a period of 14 days
but some members have not returned the books borrowed in February 2005, till
date. “These 327 books, though estimated by
department at seventy odd thousand Rupees, are actually priceless as their
other copy or edition is not available in the market. Written in Dogri, Urdu
and Hindi languages, these books were actually a part of our history, our
culture,” Sharma said. He also informs that SRS Central library isn’t the only
one to meet this fate. The University of Jammu won a lot of
appreciation and praise when it renamed its massive central library having over
four Lakh books to Dhanvantri Library as a tribute to the freedom fighter,
Dhanvantri. Set up in 1965 in a single room, this library is a pride of state
in what is a four storey building with three large reading halls. However, it
is only a shame that those who have served the varsity at the helm of affairs
have turned defaulters, not having returned books borrowed from the library for
years! And it is not one Vice-chancellor we are speaking of, but five of them!!
So much of respect for the great freedom fighter. Raman had filed another RTI query
seeking the status of books borrowed and not returned from Dhanvantri Library
the reply to which came with some shocking revelations. While University gives
time of one month to return the book, some influential persons haven’t bothered
returning books for as long as eight years, causing a loss of 589 precious
books to the library. The interim list of over 150 defaulters released by
varsity included the names of at least 5 former Vice Chancellors, many high
profile officers of the state bureaucracy and senior faculty members of
different departments of the university besides staff members of the Central
Library itself. The list also included several other bigwigs including former
Members of Legislative Council, former Education Commissioner, ex-Registrar,
Controller Examination, Superintendent, Assistant Director and Medical officer.
Many officers of honorable Governor’s office who is also the Chancellor of the
university also featured in the list!
Intersetingly, Sharma informs, in both
these cases, neither the membership of the Book defaulters was terminated nor
suspended. “The authorities didn’t even
serve a notice to the defaulters,” told Sharma.
To reach a certain conclusion in this
case is a little complex than others. While the country and its citizens have
come of age, armed with all the latest means of technology, making the decline
in library visitors a bit acceptable, it is almost heartening to see the things
go down like a setting sun. There is very doubt that the authorities are trying
to revive the reading culture in libraries, however, there is still a lot of
room for improvement.
The onus of making this tradition stays
alive and flourish rests on us, the readers, a lot. Why would they construct a
new building or renovate an existing one, if we are not ready to leave the
comfort of our house and visit a reading room? I am sure, majority of us,
reading this, hadn’t visited a library in a long time. I am also sure, that
many of us, would visit one, soon.
Much of this might seem like a waste of time in an
age where everything is available right on your smartphone. But think again. A
quiet reading corner all to yourself, the occasional rustle of paper, the hum
of slow turning ceiling fans (not applicable to Air Conditioned Libraries), the
entire rarified atmosphere of the library and a good book, rare in many cases,
in the hands. Well.
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