Library with rich legacy, uncertain future
Libraries are the lifeline of the community of intellectuals. Any civilisation that turns its back on libraries and their hidden treasure of books is bound to suffer intellectual bankruptcy and meet its decadence in the long run.
One such library that has a historical past but an uncertain future is Mahesh Chand Library of Ferozepur. At present, this library can be rightly compared with a leafless and lifeless tree. Its branches have got denuded and no birds land here to sing their melodies. The modern age of e-books and e-papers has done this damage and has deprived the library of its age-old glory. It seems as if we are heading toward a paperless era and the demise of paperback books and broadsheet newspapers is drawing near.
The ruins and rubble of this library nostalgically reminds of its glorious past and my childhood association with this high seat of learning. Visiting the library daily was one of the practices and passions I adhered to for almost two decades. During my frequent visits to the library, I forged a bond with its old bespectacled librarian who would always welcome readers with a gentle smile on his furrowed face.
Many co-readers were also no more mere acquaintances. A bond of friendship with them would soon emerge. Unlike the Facebook friends in today’s virtual world, they were easily approachable for animated conversations outside the library. Adjoining the library was a kiosk where readers would gather and exchange ideas about their recently read books over a cup of tea. The thought-provoking discussions coupled with the favourite beverage of intellectuals would broaden our horizon about varied aspects of the world of wisdom.
In 1957, the foundation stone of the library was laid by then Punjab chief minister Partap Singh Kairon who was not only a seasoned politician but also a voracious reader. Then prime minister Indira Gandhi visited Mahesh Chand Library in 1959. In its heydays, the library had a collection of more 30,000 books of different categories and 200 readers would turn daily to keep their date with books.
But the advent of technology has taken a toll on this seat of learning. Over the years, readership declined. Much to my pain, the once well-stocked house of books is now a deserted, derelict building that subscribes to only six newspapers and has a few old books. I got emotional while watching a short film, Kitab, recently. Though Kitab has a universal appeal but for me the movie was all about our old, frail bespectacled librarian and Mahesh Chand Library of Ferozepur. To me, Tom Alter in the lead role is our own librarian who kept lamenting the loss of his friends, the readers, and one day died in isolation after a cardiac arrest in the vacant reading hall of the library.
THE MODERN AGE OF E-BOOKS AND EPAPERS HAS DONE
THIS DAMAGE AND HAS DEPRIVED THE LIBRARY OF ITS AGE-OLD GLORY