Pbi varsity to get Gujral’s books

PATIALA: More than 2,100 books from the personal collection of former prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral will become part of the library of Punjabi University here.

The family of the late 12th prime minister has agreed to donate the books on request from vice- chancellor Jaspal Singh, who was India’s high commissioner to Mozambique in Africa during Gujral’s term as prime “It is an honour and a privilege that we will be able to study the works that motivated Gujral in his political career,” the V-C said here on Monday.

Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who will be on the campus on Tuesday to attend the World Punjabi Conference, will inaugurate the Gujral section of the library. The books that have got here from the official residence of the Gujral family in the national capital include works on foreign relations, religion, world affairs, and Gujral’s favourite subject: poetry.

The archive includes Gujral 1 59 - p age autobiography. “Matters of Discretion”. Speaking on telephone from Delhi, Naresh Gujral, member of Rajya Sabha from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and son of the late former prime minister, described his father as a great lover of books and said the family was happy to give student access to his collection.

Gujral, who led the second United Front government for a year, died on November 30 last year after brief illness. SD Gajrani, who wrote “IK Gujral as Prime Minister”, has welcomed the university’s move to bring his books over to its library. “Gujral had special love for Punjab and it’s an honour for the university to preserve the sources of his knowledge,” said Garjrani. In 2010, Punjabi University had conferred the doctorate degree ( honoris causa) on the former prime minister at his residence in Delhi.

Keeping in view Gujral’s illness, for the first time, the university had made an exception and handed over the degree to anyone off the campus.