Negligence cripples treasure trove of knowledge
Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Public Library building on the southern side of the historical Laldighi in the port city. PHOTO: ANURUP KANTI DAS
Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) Public Library with a collection of hundred year-old rare books has failed to draw the attention of the people thirsting for knowledge due to negligence by the city corporation. The library lacks a proper building, good display of books, good card and catalogue systems and sufficient yearly budget. The knowledge house is located on the first floor of a two-story building in the southern side of the historical Laldighi in the port city. It contains over 30,000 books with gazette and patents of 1902, printed copy of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet first published in England, many ancient hand written manuscripts and books of 15th and 16th centuries like 'Western Side of India' and 'Imitation of Ancient and Modern drawings.' In the late 19th century, a progressive English educated young group was raised to spread education in the city. The group imbued with the spirit of the homeland movement set up libraries in the city. The then all Indian Congress General Secretary Jatindra Mohan Sengupta's father Jatra Mohan Sengupta, Kedarnath Dasgupta, Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad, Congress leader Haris Chandar Datta and Moulvi Abdus Sattar led the movement. British government allotted the Laldighi pond bank to establish the library. Earlier, Buckland mooring (ghat) and hall room were constructed in memory of English magistrate Buckland here. Later, it was named Buckland ghat public library and reading room, the only standard library in Chittagong. Municipal public library was established in January 1904. The then municipality chairman E Good Esq played a vital role in establishing the library during the British rule. New Lieutenant Governor Bamfield Fuler of East Bengal and Assam visited the library. Till the First World War, district magistrate was the municipal chairman and ex-officio chairman of the library. A group of businessmen of Chittagong set up 'Chattal Prasun' in Kolkata in 1910 and transferred its books and furniture to the library the same year. Chittagong Sahitya Parishad, a branch of Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, donated all of its books in 1913 to the library. Sahitya Parishad arranged its study circles and monthly and annual session at the library hall room. Prof Anupam Sen said Prof Shashanka Mohan Sen, a teacher of Calcutta University, passed away in 1928. After his death, his wife Manikuntala Sen gave 3,000 books to the library from their family library. Poet Jibendra Kumar Datta and poet Ramani Ranjan Sen also gave huge books to the library, Prof Sen said, adding that the prime authors of British and Pakistan eras donated their books to the library. Sen said he used the library in the early fifties and sixties. “I think there are a huge number of world class and exceptional literary, history and science books in the library”. Terming it a treasure trove of knowledge, Prof Sen urged the CCC to preserve the rare collections by building a computerised modern library. Sayeda Parvin, a librarian at the library, said in rainy season many books are destroyed due to old structure of the building. “We do not get sufficient budget from the CCC to buy new books,” she said, adding that they get only Tk 50,000 a year, which is inadequate to maintain the library. She said the library has no room to display the rare collection of books, manuscripts and computer to maintain catalogue of the books. “Our prime need is a building where we will ensure preservation of the store of the invaluable resource,” she told. When asked, CCC Secretary Md Shamsuddoha said they have formed a 14-member sub-committee to construct a new building for the library.
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