Desolated library’s miserable tale to tell

MUKESH SHARMA Kalimpong, ; Inaugurated in the year 1976 by the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Siddhant Shankar Roy, the Kalimpong Sub Divisional Library, at present stands desolated. The library which houses a total of 15, 600 books in Nepali, English, Hindi and Bengali is visited hardly by readers nowadays. During the past few years, only 4- 5 people approach the library in a day. The age of computer and technology seems to overpower the reading capacity of the people.

 To learn more about things, people prefer easy access on their computer systems rather than visiting the library for the same purpose. Another reason for the people not coming to the library is, because during agitation, the place is transformed into a shelter for the Para Military Force. Hence, the people are scared to enter the building. “Since its establishment this structure has been renovated only once,” says Ruben Singh, who is the book binder there since 1980. 

The water connection leaks, and still after many complaints to the concerned department about it, the problem seems unattended. After the retirement of the librarian here in June this year, no other individuals have been appointed for this post. The dedicated service of its former librarian, NP Aden, is appreciated by the staffs.Also the assistant librarian will be retiring at the end of this year. 

After both of their retirements there is nobody to look after this place. In total there are 4 permanent and 6 adhoc employees in the library. Out of the 4 permanent posts 1 post for librarian lies vacant and another is about to get vacant. But there seems to be short of candidates who can hold the post of a librarian. The library has all kinds of books as per the requirement of the readers. It even maintains the daily, weekly and employment newspapers. A different section which stocks entrance examination and guide books is also there.

 In order to attract the readers the library too has computer facilities. But the irony lies in the fact that neither there is any such person, who can assist the readers to use it, nor there is any who wants to use it. As an icing on a cake it also has Xerox facilities which the readers can avail it in a lesser price. But the machine holds no value as there are hardly any individual who come to this place. Under the Kalimpong Sub Divisional library, there are 28 rural libraries and 1 Municipality library whose condition too, lies similar to it. Without a librarian this main library looks like a family without a head. Now after the GTA formation, the library is awaiting its new dawn.