Escapades in Kolkata: November 2014

With a pass for the reading room in one of the hallowed educational institutions of the country, I was eager to enter and have a taste of what is it inside the largest public (or otherwise) library of India.

Few days back only I along with Dr. Misro and Dr. Biswas had become members of the elite institution; how we became members is another story. We were supposed to be introduced by any gazetted officer as per the regulatory requirement; a gentle request to the Astt. Librarian was enough for him to be convinced for signing the membership form. From his eagerness it was clear that there was dearth of readers and such requests. I was eager to use the card to enter the reading hall and then chronicle the institution rather than having it done the previous day.

The entrance is simply marvelous and the location is absolutely bang in the centre of the city. It is hardly 75 mtrs from Zoological Gardens and almost the equal distance from Taj Bengal, Alipore. On the main entrance (which clearly speaks of the vintage) we have a beautiful sculpture of Mother Teresa along with a pile of books. Once inside, there is a post office and beyond that we have a large collection of trees, it seemed as if it was a large forest and that the library building and the related concrete structures (administrative buildings, staff quarters) have been scattered/placed in the forest. The trees, trust me also speak of vintage. Particularly the left one which had innumerable plants within itself infact it was a mini eco-system in itself. Then there was a tree which probably has seen the torture of cyclone; it has been split in the middle and the fallen part has not been touched, it lies naturally and in a small way, an ecosystem is developing on it.

Then we have the old building which has been taken over entirely the ASI; streams of ladders and rods can be seen covering the entire monument. The backside of it is however majestic. I have some pictures of the same. The lawn has been impeccably maintained. Close to it is the massive Bhasha Bhawan, the modern area which houses the library. The entrance is impressive; let me accept primarily because of the disgusting heights. Close to the reception, we have the reading room; or should I say a book palace.

Coming to the historic part, I found few materials covered through glass some placed on a table horizontally and some inside a glass cupboard. Many rare photographs are kept inside. Some of them are:

a. Metcalfe Hall, the first location of Imperial Library 1844-1923.

b. Memorial tablet of John Macfarlane, first librarian of Imperial Library (1901-1906).

c. Original main gate of Belvedere House.

d. National Library from East (showing preservation division).

e. Golden Jubilee celebration and formal opening of library dated 01-02-1953. Dignitaries present were West Bengal state governor, H C Mookherjee, Dr. S S Bhatnagar, Prof. Humayun Kabir and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

f. There is an aerial view of the same library of 1961 also.

g. Children’s section opened in 1960.

h. Another picture of the Golden Jubilee celebration Day with Sri B C Roy, Maulana Azad, H C Mookherjee, Dr. S S Bhatnagar, Prof. Humayun Kabir and Sri B S Kesavan.

i. Still another one of the same date containce H C Mookherjee, Sri Rama Prasad Mukherjee and B S Kesavan.

j. Some treasures from the Ashutosh collection.

Few rare books / publications are also on display. They are as follows:

a. Temples of Satrunjaya- the celebrated Jaina place of pilgrimage near Palitana in Kathiawar. It is a collation of 45 photos by Skye's and Dwyer with historical and descriptive introduction by James Burgess (MRAS, FRGS) published by Skywes and Dwyer in 1809.
b. Illustration of the Rock-cut temples of India by James Fergusson (London, 1845). This was added to the collection of the library on 03-02-1931; the date seal of the library is embossed on the exhibit.
c. The rock-cut temples of Elephanta or Gharapuri by James Burgess; published in Bombay in 1871 by D H Skyes & Co. and Thacker Vining & Co..
d. Monuments of Sanchi by Sir John Marshall, CIE, Litt D, FSA and Alfred Foucher.
e. inscriptions on the Tombs or monuments in Madras by Julian James Cotton, CS and printed by the Superitendent, Govt. Press, madras in 1905.
f. Hindostan: Its landscapes, palaces, temples, tombs. The shores of the Red Sea and The sublime and Romantic scenery of the Himalayan mountains by Emma Roberts & Fischer. The same is published by The Caitun Press, Angel Street, London in 1850.
g. the Wonders of Elora or the narrative of a journey to the Temples & Dwellings atElora i East Indias by John B Seely (Captain of Bombay Native Infantry); printed for geo B Whittaker, 1825.
h. A comparative view of the antient monuments of India by John Nichols, 1785 (it was received by the library on 14-07-2009). I have typed correctly, there was a spelling mistake in antient which should have been ancient.
i. Memoirs of the cave temples and monastries by John Wilson, published in Bombay 1850.
j. Paintings in the Buddhist Cave-temples of Ajanta by John Griffiths (1897).
k. Monumnets Anciens Et Modernes de L' Hindostan; published in Paris 1821.
l. Preservation of National monuments in India by Major Henry hardy Cole (Delhi, 1884).

Once I entered the reading hall, I felt suffocated with the collection. Once inside only, I realised what it is meant by the largest library of the nation. There were topics on every possible aspect that one knows. Racks and racks were filled with subjects known and unknown. There were areas filled with books on witchcraft, bibliography, bioethics, Judaism et al which I had never imagined.

Overall, it is a place to be there; there one comes to know how much one does not know. as I always say, one should seek oppurtunities which makes one realise how less we know and how little we have scratched the mountain of knowledge post so many years / decades of reading and our existence.

And as I always say, brickbats and bouquets welcome!