Cry for help from a treasure trove

Cry for help from a treasure trove
The Times of India

Bangalore: From the outside, the red building looks uncared for with its broken window panes, unpolished shutters and general air of neglect.
But for the curious, an unattractive board points to the treasure-house of knowledge inside.

The state central library housed in the Sir Seshadri Iyer Memorial Hall, (the Dewan of Mysore from 1883 to 1901), is set picturesquely inside Cubbon Park. But now, it needs help.

The building is of the same ‘Pompeiian’ red brick as the Attara Kacheri and the government museum. But it is not as old. The foundation for this circular building was laid in 1903, work was completed some five years later. It became a library in 1914 or so. Today, it possesses over 2.5 lakh books, including many rare editions. It even has a copyright section with copies of all books published in Karnataka under the Copyright Act, since 1966.

At present, the building is being renovated. The project, says chief librarian K G Venkatesh, began in January this year. It has progressed in fits and starts since. The building is maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD) but right now, funds are non existent. So since January, only some replastering and cleaning has been done. Work on building racks (for the books), rewiring the electrical system and other civil works has not even started. Initially, the renovation began with an estimate of Rs 25 lakh. Now it is reckoned the project will need at least Rupees one crore which is not available at the moment.

History: The building did not always house a library. Venkatesh believes that for a while, initially, the main hall, which has a wooden floor, may even have been used as a ballroom. Besides, it has seen some exciting times. During World War II, for example, according to him, a BBC team set up base there to send out regular radio bulletins.

Today, apart from its vast collection of books, the building is home to nearly 9,000 children’s books, 780 braille books, 36 newspapers, 49 weeklies, 21 fortnightlies, 110 monthlies, six bimonthlies, 19 quarterlies and two half-yearlies. “Twenty years ago, you could even read the New York Times here. Not now though,’’ says Venkatesh. For those interested, ‘Time’ and ‘Newsweek’ are still available.

What worries the chief librarian is that the library’s old books some dating back to 1800 — are in danger. “They need special care and temperature control. But this weather is destroying them,’’ he rues. The constant dust from the ongoing renovation work does not help either. In fact, the library’s computer system has also crashed.

Venkatesh points out that in the United States, there is a robust public library system. “For this public library (it charges no fee) to survive, we need the help of the public. Why cannot corporates help us? Else, an invaluable part of our knowledge heritage will slowly die,’’ he warns.

Perhaps, the roar of the constant traffic around the building drowns out this feeble cry for help.