The hidden gem: Dara Shikoh’s library

Nivedita Khandekar, Hindustan Times

If you are on Lothian Road and going towards Red Fort, behind the row of shops on your left is a significant centre of learning. The present-day campus of Delhi government’s Ambedkar University has a hidden gem on its sprawling premises: the Dara Shikoh Library. An old but renovated building  sporting a mix of Mughal and British architecture is the proud legacy of Dara Shikoh (1615-1659), the eldest son and heir apparent of emperor Shah Jahan. However, his younger brother Aurangzeb beat him to the Mughal throne.

Dara Shikoh, an erudite scholar, had a huge collection of books. An example of his penmanship are his translations of several Upanishads from Sanskrit to Persian. After his death, the building underwent numerous changes.

It became the residence of a Mughal noble, then that of a British resident, a government college, district school, a municipal school and much later, in the 20th century, the Delhi government's department of archaeology moved in.

Every occupant or agency added on to its architecture. The English built the tall imposing Roman-style pillars as additions were made from two sides to the Mughal-era building. Inside, you can still see the decorated sandstone arches akin to that of a baradari.

The archaeology department’s administrative wing recently shifted to Vikas Bhawan II, adjacent to Metcalfe House. "However, our museum artifacts and archival records continue to remain there. In the future, we hope to put this building to better use,” said Vishwa Mohan, additional secretary, department of art and culture.

Read Detailed News at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/The-hidden-gem-Dara-Shikoh-s-library/Article1-947882.aspx

Literary treasures under threat at India's oldest library

One of India's oldest libraries, which was established by the British in the 19th century and contains several priceless works of literature, is facing closure after the government withdrew funding.

Hardayal Library in Delhi houses one of the country's finest collection of rare antiquarian books, including a 1676 print of Sir Walter Raleigh'sHistory of the World, a series of early British Indian travelogues and hand-written and gold illuminated translations of Hindu and Muslim religious works.

The collection is potentially worth millions, with 8,000 rare books out of a stock of 170,000.

It was established in 1862 as a book club for British officials who brought their own prized editions with them from home, and was kept in the Lawrence Institute in Delhi's town hall. In 1912 it became the Hardinge Library, named after the British viceroy, and was renamed the Hardayal after independence.

Today the building is dilapidated, its books are caked in dust and their musty pages are slowly disintegrating in rooms without air-conditioning.

Old cane office chairs and rusty metal desks are piled high throughout what was once a sweeping verandah. Stray kittens prowl the discoloured marble floor and a domed room on the roof terrace is squatted on by the watchman. Madhukar Rao, the chief librarian, said he was not allowed to discuss the government's decision to withdraw funds, but voiced his concerns for its readers and staff as he gave The Daily Telegraph a tour of his rarest volumes.

For the 300 students who work in its two reading rooms it is a rare sanctuary from Delhi's chaos. Yet the staff who serve them have not been paid for six months. "The cost of living is so high, how will they survive?" asked Mr Rao.

His colleagues nodded in agreement as they displayed their most treasured editions: Relation of Some Years by Travaile Begvenne, printed in 1634, Voyages Around the World by John Francis from 1705, and a series of London Surveys from 1754. There is a Koran written by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and a translation of the Mahabharata, a Hindu religious epic, in Persian by the Islamic scholar Abul Faizi. It is illuminated in gold.

Many of the most valuable texts are deteriorating fast, in part because of poor preservation. The pages of Sir Walter Raleigh's history are protected by acetate sheets. "Each of these books could be worth thousands of pounds if they were in decent condition. A wealthy individual or the government should make sure it's preserved," said Peter Harrington, a London antiquarian books dealer.

Meena Agarwal, the mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation, said: "We have limited funds for such activities and the North Delhi Municipal Corporation cannot grant funds on its own. The government has to issue orders."

A campaign to save the library has been launched with the support of some of India's leading writers and scholars, including the critic and author Nilanjana Roy and the academic S Irfan Habib, who used it in the 1980s for research.

The library was set up with donations from Indian royalty, including the Begum Sahiba of Bhopal as a tribute to Lord Hardinge after he survived an assassination attempt when riding an elephant. The attack was led by the freedom fighter Lala Hardayal, after whom the library is now named.

You can read more news at: http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_literary-treasures-under-threat-at-india-s-oldest-library_1738388

This library stands tall even in digital age

Age-old books are preserved in air-conditioned cabins in the library. —DC

“A library of wisdom is more precious than all wealth, and all things that are desirable cannot be compared to it”, said writer Richard de Bury, centuries ago.

Travancore’s Maharaja Swati Thirunal knew there couldn’t be anything truer than this and entrusted the task of setting up a library to the then resident Edward Cadogan.

The Trivandrum People’s Library, that later became one of the first public libraries in India, was thus born in 1829.

Open to the public since 1898, the library stands active even in the age of digital books and e-papers, housing about 4 lakh books.

“People’s inclination to internet had slightly brought down the membership for a while. However, almost all of them came back in no time. Guess it’s the enchanting feel that only a library can give”, said P.Subrapha, state librarian who has been here for five years.

According to her, people come back as the library walks with the changing times. “We have a well-updated website with all the details.

Government gazettes are also digitised and preserved here now, in addition to subscribing to more magazines and journals,” she observed.

What’s most striking about the library is its Gothic-style architecture that took shape after 1900, on the orders of His Highness Sree Moolam Thirunal.

The ruler might have felt that the books of knowledge should be housed beautifully too. The construction style was chosen in commemoration of the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria.

Heading the family of books is a translation published in 1569, titled A Righte Noble and Pleasant History of the Successors of Alexander surnamed The Great.

As per records, it’s written by ‘Wise Plutarch’ and translated from French to English by Thomas Stocker. Age-old books like these are preserved in air-conditioned cabins.

Along with the years, the library has improved its budget for books and journals. However, the library now faces the issues of space crunch and staff shortage.

“Funds were allotted to construct a heritage model building to store books. However, due to a recent case, no construction activities have been allowed on the premises as of now. This is a serious matter”, said Ms Suprabha.

Read More News at: http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/thiruvananthapuram/library-stands-tall-even-digital-age-925

Holkar era library of Indore to be razed

Indore: The library of Holkar era, which was constructed in 1854 in the heart of the town at Rajwada, would be razed, as it has been declared dangerous. The Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) had declared the dilapidated building dangerous in the past too but some how it was not demolished.

The IMC had included the library building in the list of dangerous structures twice during last two years. "A list of dangerous buildings is being updated in all the zones. The IMC will launch a drive to raze down the dangerous structures before rainy season sets in", assistant building removal officer Virendra Upadhyay told.

Library manager Bhushan Shinde admitted that IMC had issued notices declaring the building dangerous in the past. He, however, added that the dilapidated front canopy of the library has been repaired. Members and readers still frequent the ramshackle library. That is a reason why the IMC dithered on dismantling the structure.

But the structure has become so weak that book shelves had to be shifted in view of the fact that members still come to the building. In order to avert any untoward incident, an arrangement for reading has been made in the rear side of the library. Earlier, a bank was also operating in the building. It closed due to pathetic condition of the building. Trustees of the public library also tried to get the building renovated but failed to reach a consensus over terms and conditions with the contractor company. Finally the contract had to be cancelled.

Source: http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/MP-IND-holkar-era-library-to-be-razed-3407480.html

These libraries have been around for 100 yrs

When Gajanan Deshmukh read about a unique meet for 100-year-old public libraries, he was determined to travel for more than 10 hours from Jamkhed in Ahmednagar district to Mumbai.

Last week, Deshmukh made that long journey to the city to represent Lokmanya Taluka Vachanalay that was  started by his great grand father in 1887. More than 40 representatives from 83 public libraries of Maharashtra were felicitated by Maharashtra Seva Sangh, a cultural organisation, as part of their 75th anniversary celebrations.

"The library is very close to my heart and the next step is to computerise the library so that rare books are preserved," said Deshmukh, who retired as a school principal in 2001 and is now involved in library work.

The oldest library was in Ratnagiri, set up in 1828 and libraries such as the Dadar Sarvajanik Vachanalay - popularly known as DASAVA - and the Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalay, Dadar east were also felicitated.

"These books are invaluable for historical research because Maharashtra and India witnessed major social upheavals in 19th and 20th century," said Pratibha Gokhale, chief librarian, Mumbai University. "They have maps, letters and manuscripts written by thinkers such as Lokmanya Tilak and Babasaheb Ambedkar."

Added Nandini Hambarde, secretary, Maharashtra Seva Sangh, "The event gave representatives a chance to exchange notes on issues such as preservation of rare books and financial challenges."

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/These-libraries-have-been-around-for-100-yrs/Article1-859401.aspx

Restoration delay leaves state library exposed

Come monsoon, and there is a high possibility that parts of the decades-old State Central Library at Afzal Gunj may cave in. With its huge halls and high ceilings, the Osmanian-style edifice is now left to the vagaries of nature, as its restoration project seems to have hit a roadblock. The structure, constructed in 1936 after the library was moved from the old General Post Office building at Abids, is now a just shadow of its glorious past.

The signs of incomplete work are visible all over, with the walls chipped off and the roof left exposed for want of re-plastering. And with the restoration work stopped midway, a hard spell of rain might lead to water seepage, weakening the imposing structure, Ms Anuradha Reddy, of Intach, warns. “The interest of the building is paramount,” she stressed. “I have seen the progress of work, and it is anyone’s guess when the roof will be re-plastered.” With the monsoon less than two months away, she said, there was a danger of collapse — a concern shared by several other experts as well.

Mr Kedarnath, a regular visitor to the library, said: “It is a pity such a magnificent structure is in such a condition.” The AP Educational and Welfare Infrastructure Development Corporat-ion had awarded to Babu Associates the contract for the project after tenders were called in April 2011. The restoration work, estimated to cost Rs 2.33 crore, was scheduled for completion within 12 months.

“Works were taken up last year and should have been completed by now,” C.H. Pulliah, director, public libraries, said. However, Mr Babu, the contractor, said the authorities did not hand over the library site in time, which primarily had led to the delay. Besides, he claimed, “We needed to make certain deviations from the original plan in tune with the revised rates.” APEWIDC executive engineer K. Murthy admitted that there was a delay in the work. “I will visit the site on the last week of April, and if there is no satisfactory progress, appropriate penalty will be imposed on the contractor,” he said

Full News is available at :- 

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/restoration-delay-leaves-state-library-exposed-989.