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WORLD  Manuscripts Gathering Dust At Cu Library FROM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE INDIA, Apr 16 (VNN) — SWAGATA GHOSH - STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE KOLKATA, April 2. - There are some 40,000 manuscripts including quite a few on palm leaves - many in gold and silver lettering - lying in dust and darkness in one corner of the first floor of Darbhanga Building in Calcutta University's College Street campus. There are funds to preserve and catalogue them. There is an assistant librarian too, to take care of the university's "unique" Manuscript Library. Only the authorities are not bothered.
The library has over 20,000 Sanskrit, 12,000 Tibetan and Bengali and several Persian and Arabic manuscripts. Many are the only ones of their kind in the state and some a rarity in India. "This doesn't mean much to people here," said the library in-charge, Dr Ratna Basu. The National Archives had sanctioned Rs 75,000 in 1998-99 for "steel cupboards and glass cases" to preserve the manuscripts. The money remains unused because repeated requests to the university authorities to provide space for the furniture to be bought have fallen on deaf ears. "I told the authorities that even a temporary arrangement in the verandah would do, but they kept silent," Dr Basu said. But the deputy registrar, Mr Mihir Ranjan Ghosh Dastidar, denies that there is a space crunch. "We'll sort the problem out with the library shortly," he said. However, there's more to this than just unused grants and lack of space. The National Archive's grant also provides for stipends of two scholars to work on the cataloguing of the manuscripts. "With no money this year and even next, I'll have to do with just one scholar," Dr Basu says. The library shares its room with the CITU backed employees' co-operative office and wooden almirahs double up as walls between the two sections. A move to construct a dividing wall four years back, was abruptly stalled after union members disrupted work because of "dust being blown all over the place." There's more lying idle than just the manuscripts. Twenty cartons of naphthalene bricks, bought to preserve the manuscripts, are lying unused. That which isn't idle is altogether absent. One and a half years back, Mr Aurobindo Maity was appointed assistant librarian (manuscripts and historical documents) - a lecturer grade post - but has not reported for duty at the library ever since. During this period, he had worked in the university's central library and is presently working in the Computer Science library at Rajabazar Science College. Mr Ghosh Dastidar said: "The university can transfer him as required." Is the post vacant, then? "Legally, no. It's just that the university thinks he would be much more useful there." Another post for keeper has been vacant for nearly seven years. Together, this ensures that Dr Basu is in charge of administration, maintenance of records, correspondence, meetings, accounts and even vigilance. What happens when the library in charge is alone and has to take her classes? Naturally, the library remains closed.  Comment on this storyContact VNN about this storySend this story to a friend
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