PM’s ‘Diwali gift’
HARDAYAL HERITAGE LIBRARY, ONE OF NEW DELHI’S GEMS, IS A REPOSITORY OF BOOKS THAT HAS BUILT MANY CAREERS, AMBITIONS
Calling it a ‘Diwali gift’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday launched a programme to approve loan requests of up to Rs10 million ($138,000) for small- and mediumsized businesses within 59 minutes, as he tries to woo a large voting block ahead of elections.
Those who generalise that today’s generation is only glued to their mobile phones and tablets will need a rethink on visiting Delhi’s oldest library. Here, on any given day you will come across many young people browsing through its huge collection of books.
Hardayal Municipal Heritage Library is a go-to place for students appearing for competitive exams, a treasure trove for research scholars and an isolated space for the elderly, who need their daily dose of worldly affairs from hard copies of newspapers.
Situated in the Kachcha Bagh area of Old Delhi’s everbustling Chandni Chowk, the over 150-year-old library’s walls muffle the cacophony outside.
Gulf News spoke to Anita Gupta, senior librarian at the Hardayal Municipal Heritage Library, to learn about the history of this treasure house. “It is a 19th century gem in the heart of the Walled City and one of the oldest buildings that has withstood the onslaught of modern times,” Gupta said. “The exterior of the building is quite ordinary; it is the elements inside the premises that it is famous for.”
Atif Aslam, a young boy from Bihar, is a frequent visitor. “I stay with family-friends in Chandni Chowk and am preparing for Common Admission Test (CAT) exams. In a joint family set-up, space is a constraint and, as it is, in Old Delhi houses are small and cramped, so I find my oasis of peace here,” Aslam says.
At any point of time, the library is full of readers. Young students, engrossed in books, aspiring to become civil service officers, engineers and chartered accountants, are a common sight. A girl pursuing a post doctorate admits she has been able to achieve so much because she comes to the library and studies without any distractions.
Gupta said she learns of success stories when students turn up with a box of sweets. Many offer to donate their books and seek her blessings. “People have for long been ringing the death-knell for libraries. But can you study everything online?” she asks.
Aslam agrees. “We cannot access all the information online. The cost of membership is nominal.”
Newspapers, periodicals
Divided into sections, the members’ free reading space is a favourite haunt of senior citizens. Kewal Kumar, a regular visitor for the past 55 years, said, “I have never subscribed to any newspaper and this library is an addiction. Earlier, I spent an hour here in the morning, but after retirement, much of my time is spent in its tranquil environs.”
The library subscribes to 27 newspapers (English — 11, Hindi — 10, Urdu — 4, Punjabi — 2) and 50 magazines (News and Entertainment — 30 and Competitive examinations — 20). The reading room is open to the public from 7am to 10pm. “While we have 700 life members, the general membership count at any time is over 800,” said Gupta, who has been associated with the library for over 37 years. The 24 branches of the library are scattered throughout the city. As one enters the main library, the smell of books is overpowering. All book categories are labelled, from engineering to computer technology and teacher’s guides to Central Board of Secondary Education textbooks. Also, a large section is devoted to volumes of Lok Sabha debates and history of the states of India. Housing more than 170,000 books in six languages — English, Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit, the library includes some rare and valuable books. Plans are on to digitise the books while ensuring that minimum stress is placed on rare books in the process.
Treasure trove
Sobha Tandon, assistant librarian, who has researched and catalogued the books, reveals, “The premises are filled with ancient treasures. But few are aware of the precious collection.” She adds, “Books dated before 1960 are not issued to be taken away, but can be read in the library.” While a number of books are piled on shelves, many more are neatly placed in almirahs that cover almost all the walls. The precious ones, worth millions, are locked away in inaccessible steel cupboards that line the premises.
“Among these are over 7,000 rare books and 20 of the rarest in the world,” Tandon says.
The oldest book and the only surviving copy of A Relation of Some Years by Travaile Begvenne (1634) can be found in this library. Other rare books include: History of the World by Sir Walter Raleigh (1676), Voyages Around the
World by John Francis Jenili Koriri (1705), Travels in India by Villiam Hojej (1794), Tajkeera-Al-Vakyat by Charles
Steward (1828), Wanderings of a Pilgrim in Search of the Picturesque by Fani Parks (1860), the Persian translation of Mahabharata by Abul Fazal, the grand vizier of Mughal emperor Akbar, and verses of the Quran written by Emperor Aurangzeb with their Hindi translation.
1862 year the library was set up to store books Britishers carried with them to India
170,000 books in six languages at the library
It is a 19th century gem in the heart of the Walled City and one of the oldest buildings... The exterior is ordinary; it is the elements inside the premises it is famous for.”
Anita Gupta | Senior librarian