Libraries of India: Glorious Past, Dismal Present

I had never heard of PN Panicker until Prime Minister Modi recently mentioned him in a public speech. After I heard of him, I googled ‘PN Panicker’ and read all about the man who founded and led a library movement in the South Indian state of Kerala. Apparently, Kerala’s success in achieving a commendable literacy rate is attributed in no small part to the network of public libraries Panicker set up in the state.
The Prime Minister’s words, and the glowing tributes to Panicker I found online, got me thinking about the library scene in India. It is a matter of pride for most Indians that the libraries in the ancient universities of Taxila and Nalanda were widely considered among the best repositories of knowledge at the time. Indians are also justifiably proud that books have long occupied a sacred position in our culture, with learning and knowledge elevated to the status of the divine (in the form of Goddess Sarasvathi, for example). Unfortunately, the current state of libraries in India is dismal at best. If one were to grade the Indian library system on almost any reasonable criteria, it would not get better than an ‘F’ grade (that is, a failing score). When I first went to the United States, I found myself genuinely impressed by their wonderful library system. Space constraints preclude me from discussing the American library system, but the interested reader may like to peruse Wayne Wiegand’s Part of our Lives by Oxford University Press.
  Some argue that the Indian government does not invest in libraries. I am not knowledgeable of local, state, or federal monetary allocations to libraries, but we do have a National Mission on Libraries with the explicit mission to develop the library system in India. What this mission actually does to promote libraries in India, I have no idea! Growing up in Delhi, I had always heard of the Delhi Public Library, but the two times
  I have been there, it’s been a very underwhelming experience. Delhi, like the rest of the country, has a sizable number of public schools and colleges, but the less said about the libraries of most of them, the better. It would be no exaggeration to say that libraries in most Indian academic institutions are an afterthought, with senior administrators showing little interest in building and developing rich libraries on their campus.
While the government’s role in the poor Indian library infrastructure is well known, it is the apathy and lack of participation from the private sector that most bothers me. If you look at the historical journey of the American library system, one cannot help but be impressed by businessman Andrew Carnegie’s role in encouraging the construction of well-stocked libraries in the US. Where are the library-building Carnegies in India? Successful Indian entrepreneurs, from the old business houses of Tata and Birla to the new doyens of industry such as Vinny Bansal and Gautam Adani, have shown scant interest in building libraries in the country. While India has the largest numbers of academic startups in virtual and physical space, none of them have shown serious interest in building quality libraries. Notably, several Indian corporations are using their affiliated foundations to start schools and colleges, but not even one of them has seen it fit to establish public libraries and reading rooms.
Superpower status has long been a cherished goal for Indians, so much so that there is constant chatter here of a multi-polar world with the US, India, and China as the leading powers. Such an exalted status, of course, does not come easily, and India needs to do a lot to come up stronger than where it currently is. If we truly want India to become a world-power, it needs to have world-class infrastructure, which requires investment in well-stocked public libraries and reading rooms around the country. While governments at all levels certainly have a role to play in this endeavour, private players also need to step up and take the lead. Indian business leaders need to start thinking beyond their corporate bottomline, and give some consideration to their legacy. And, what can be a better legacy than to support libraries and reading rooms where the public can relax with books and spend time learning? India needs Panickers in every state, and Prime Minister Modi would do well to emphasise the construction of libraries all over the country.

Narayan’s abode now livened up

Michael Bond, the man behind children’s favourite literary character Paddington, passed away at the age of 91 on 27 June. The death was announced by his publisher, Harper Collins, which said that Bond had died after a short illness. It did not specify a cause.
The famous bear was named after the railway station Paddington, not far from where Bond himself used to reside. The small brown bear was spotted at the railway station by Mr and Mrs Brown, characters in his first novel A Bear Called Paddington, with a tag on his neck that said: ‘Please look after this bear.’
First published in 1958, Bond’s book was about the marmalade loving bear from Peru and the character has since been featured in more than twenty books written by the English author. Bond, who kept writing until his death, published his last story Paddington’s Finest Hour in April 2017.
A statement from publisher HarperCollins said: ‘It is with great sadness that we announce that Michael Bond, CBE, the creator of one of Britain’s best-loved children’s characters, Paddington, died at home yesterday aged 91 following a short illness.’
More than 35 million Paddington books have been sold worldwide, spawning toys, TV programmes, picture and activity books and films,. There is also a 2014 British-French family animation film directed by Paul King.