 Readers engrossed in reading magazines at the library in Bathinda.
“I cannot live without books,” said Thomas Jefferson, third president of the USA, in 1815. Though the electronic media, including Internet, have made giant strides, it has not been able to eliminate the book culture yet.
And the Public Library, Bathinda, is determined to keep the tradition alive.
As part of the freedom movement, Satpal Azad established the library in 1938 in a rented room at Kikar Bazaar here with just one table, two chairs and two newspapers. Today, it has grown to around to a 4500 square yard area and is housed adjacent to Gole Diggi, where it was shifted in 1960.
The library was established with a motto, ‘Jaago Aur Jagao’ (Be aware and make others aware). The spirit of the freedom movement is still alive as the library celebrates Republic Day and the Independence Day at its premises every year.
Today, apart from the reading hall, that can accommodate as many as 80 readers at a time, the library has a freedom fighter’s hall, a meeting hall and a computer section. There are separate sections for women and children. The freedom fighter hall has some rare pictures of Bhagat Singh and his family, nicely framed to be preserved for the future generations.
To promote the book culture, the library’s managing committee organises seminars and book exhibitions apart from the annual ‘kavi darbar and mushaira’.
“I deliver lectures in schools to help imbibe reading habits among students,” says Jagdish Singh Ghai, the general secretary of the library, who believes that the habits inculcated during childhood survives through one’s whole life.
On any given day, over 700 readers visit the library that remains open seven days a week. “The library provides an ambience conducive for studying. In addition, we have access to books on varied subjects,” said Ravinder Singh, a regular visitor.
It has as many as 3,200 members apart from hundreds of non-members who visit the library to read newspapers or for study purpose. They have access to over 39,000 books, 135 periodicals and 37 newspapers in English, Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu languages.
The library boasts of books on almost every subject but the raunchy stuff. It has around 12,000 books in English language and the same number of books in Hindi, 9,000 books in Punjabi and 6,000 books in Urdu.
In addition, the library maintains the record of several newspapers for over seven years and purchases books worth Rs 80,000 every year.
More than 60 books are issued daily and the figure is more than that of the state library, Patiala, the general secretary claims.
The library’s membership fee is just Rs 5 a month and that too in the form of donation. However, you are required to deposit Rs 100 as security money. The library’s managing committee issues books to the poor students free of charge.
Ghai takes pride in saying that by reading books and notes provided by the library, four students have cleared the MBBS examination while many have qualified for engineering and chartered accountancy. The general secretary also lamented that the electronic media and cricket were affecting the reading habit rather adversely.
Jagmohan Kaushal, an executive member of the library’s managing committee, says, “If the electronic media is so good why do parents always stop their children from watching TV? Have you ever heard of somebody becoming a doctor, engineer, pilot or an officer just by watching TV?”
Books change lives. Ghai related one such incident where a depressed student came to him and told him that he wanted to commit suicide. “I gave him two books to read. After a couple of days, the boy returned and asked for more such books and thanked me for giving him a new lease of life.”
Ghai, associated with the library since 1966, is the general secretary for the past 15 years. He has 4,200 books in his personal collection and wants them to be added to the library stock after his death.
Considering their enthusiasm and spirit, one can’t help but feel that the book culture won’t perish as long as the efforts of people like Jagdish Singh Ghai are on to keep it alive.
| Comments () >> |
 |
| Write comment |
| You must be logged in to post a comment. Please register if you do not have an account yet. |
 |
