India's tryst with public libraries

Just when some of us, whose idea of culture goes beyond matters sanskari, were worrying about the fate of the Central Secretariat Library (CSL), that 135-yr-old repository of some 8.5 lakh books, GoI has reassured us that the Kartavya Path redevelopment plan has, indeed, provided space for it. For one, CSL - which began life as Imperial Secretariat Library in Kolkata in 1891, moved to Delhi in 1911, and found its home in Shastri Bhawan in 1969 - must be preserved for the sheer history it holds between its bookshelves.

For another, India is starved of good, accessible public libraries. There are officially 46,746 public libraries across states and UTs. The number may sound impressive. But spread across a country of 1.4 bn with numerous languages - and with the condition of most of them, at best, merely functional - the story of libraries in India is hardly a page-turner. But there's an unmet demand. In Karnataka, public library programmes are getting youngsters back to reading through read-aloud sessions, storytelling and book-based activities, including e-text and video.

A good library is a public square for ideas, a place to look forward to going on a regular basis for the thrill of 'catching' books - and to find temperature-controlled quietude inside. It's not just a space for lectures, exhibitions, workshops and research, but also for fun events, soirees and other shared experiences. As a 'lighthouse' institution, CSL now has the larger opportunity to reinvent not just itself, but also India's very relationship with public libraries as living community and intellectual 'temple' spaces. We wait excitedly for the library to move into its new home. It's certainly a cultural occasion on the national calendar to look forward to.