For Global Peace with Social Justice in a Sustainable Environment

Library in prespective of Mahatma Gandhi

Dr. Yogendra Yadav

Gandhian Scholar

Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon, M.S.

Contact No. - 09404955338

Library in perspective of Mahatma Gandhi

A library is an organized collection of resources of books, periodicals, newspapers, manuscript, films, maps, documents, prints, cassettes, video games, e-books, audio books etc. A library is organized and maintained by a public body, an institution, a corporation or individual. Public and institutional collections and services may be intended for use by general people or concerning institutions. The head of library is librarian. who are experts at finding and organizing information and at interpreting information needs. Libraries often provide sufficient and quiet areas for studying. Libraries provide electronic resources.

Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “For those who use the library in the case of students, the expense does not amount to much.”1 Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “The first mode is the cheapest, viz., to cook all your meals; but it would cost more time and may prove inconvenient for a student who may pass his day in his library.”2 Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “Perhaps, from an economic point of view, Lincoln's Inn is the best Inn, which boasts also the best library.”3

Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “For even a luxuriously fitted room would not be so comfortable and suitable as the library hall which is always well warmed and ventilated.”4 Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “The Hon. Secretary shall, if he chooses, subscribe for the newspapers and books for the Congress Library out of the Congress Fund.”5 “The Natal Indian Association may use the Hall and the Library free of charge, and they, in return, shall give their reasonable services such as doing writing work, etc.”6

Mahatma Gandhi said, “I notice there are some inaccuracies and omissions in the report published in your today’s issue with reference to the opening of the Diamond Jubilee Library in Grey Street. The report about the origin of the Diamond Jubilee Library was read not by me, but the honorary librarian, Mr. Bryan Gabriel, who played the principal part in bringing it about. Mr. J. S. Done, of the Railway Indian School, is the Chairman of the Library Committee. It would seem from the report that His Worship the Mayor attached the blame for the regrettable absence of Indians from the procession to that community. I do not think he said or could mean anything of the kind. I happen to know that, no matter who is to blame for the omission, the Indian community is not.”7

“Under the auspices of the N.I.E. Association the Diamond Jubilee Library was opened on the Jubilee Day by Mr. Waller, the then Magistrate of Durban. The Mayor, Mr. Laughton, Mr. Osborn, the Librarian of he Durban Library, Dr. Booth and a few other Europeans attended the opening ceremony. Letters of sympathy were received from those who were unable to attend, among them being the Hon. Mr. Jameson and the Deputy Mayor, Mr. Collins. The Congress Hall was brilliantly lighted for the occasion. The credit for the success of the opening ceremony and the decorations is entirely due to the efforts of Mr. Bryan Gabriel, though it is but fair to mention that during the last portion of the decorations he was assisted by other workers also. It is painful to have to report that the library has not been as successful in its career as was its opening. The attendance has been nil. The expenses of the library were subscribed for by the members of the Educational Association and an equivalent amount had been voted by the Congress.

During all this time, between the Tuskegee College has now forty buildings and a beautiful library, a gift from Mr. Andrew Carnegie, on an estate of 2,000 acres, besides fifteen cottages belonging to it.”8 “The following is a report of Gandhiji’s speech at the opening of a library in Durban, started in memory of Shri Lallubhai, the founder of the Natal Sanatan Dharma Sabha.”9

“While making a few important suggestions to the organizers of the Library, Mr. Gandhi said that, in a big city like Durban, where there was a large Indian population, a good library was indeed necessary; and to meet that need leading citizens and businessmen of Durban had, some years earlier, made great efforts, and a library known as the Diamond Jubilee Library1 was started in commemoration of the event. But later, for lack of sufficient care and supervision, it was closed down. He hoped that the new Library would not be reduced to a similar condition but that it would improve from day to day. that the organizers would keep up their present enthusiasm and continue their efforts to ensure its permanent existence. Mr. Gandhi then made some valuable suggestions regarding the selection of books and the hours during which the library should be kept open. He exhorted the public to visit the library, particularly on Sundays, sit amidst the books, those mute, noble friends, and study them to profit.”10

“The Diamond Jubilee Library was started to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria’s rule. The ownership of the Library was vested in a special committee, which was also entrusted with its management, and the books were kept in the Congress Hall. As the Lallubhai Library is not functioning at the moment, I saw the President of the Library, Mr. Ravishankar Bhatt, about bringing the books back to the Congress Hall, and he has agreed to return them. I have still to see one or two other gentlemen in this connection, and after securing their consent, the requisite transport will be sent to fetch the books.”

“Mr. Osman Ahmed Effendi read an address on behalf of the Indian Library. The following is a translation: We the undersigned, representing the Committee of the Indian Public Library and the visitors to that Library, hereby place on record our deep sense of obligation to you for the very great and tangible help rendered by you to the Library. Your love of knowledge is well known, and it was in keeping with it that you rendered so much assistance to this humble institution. We trust that you will continue to show goodwill for the Library, and we hope that you will soon return to resume your multifarious activities in Natal for public causes.”

“Mr. Shelat has resigned to take up an appointment elsewhere, after attending to the Library with great diligence, though for a brief period. His vacancy is filled by Mr. Tarmahomed Sumar, and Mr. Jusab Osman has agreed to help. We offer congratulations to both of them. It is very necessary that members of the community should come forward for public work in large numbers. It is a sign of weakness on our part to ask, whenever someone leaves, how his place can be filled. Anyone will find it difficult to fill the place of Mr. Diwan in so far as hard work and regularity are concerned. However, we are confident that Mr. Tarmahomed and Mr.Jusab Osman will with utmost diligence complete the task that they have undertaken. A library is an indication of education. There is no need to prove that it confers many benefits. It is, therefore, the duty of every Indian to help maintain this library.”13

“The arrangement about the Library is all right. Do not order books for the present. It is better just to collect money.”14

“To establish and maintain a library containing colonial and foreign laws and journals and all other special books of interest to emigrants.”15

“Vernacular literature is important. I want to have a library of all books. I invite friends for financial aid to form libraries and to locate them.”16

“It affords an easy access to the College students who have in ever-increasing numbers been making use of the Ashram Library which contains a fair volume of selected literature and newspapers and magazines, the latter being kindly supplied free of charge by the respective publishers.”17

“I have been invited to declare open this library, named after Gokhale, and to unveil his portrait. This is a sacred mission, and a solemn one. These days’ people in the West are obsessed with the idea that in founding a library one renders social service. An American city has a millionaire, Carnegie by name. He is so rich that, even if he were to distribute rupees by the million among the people, his hoard of wealth would not be exhausted. He donates libraries at innumerable places, all named after him. Some Scottish leaders requested him not to import such a practice into their country against their wishes, for [they said] it was likely to do much more harm than good. In Paris, libraries are being increasingly misused. You need not understand from this that I am against libraries. When a library is being started, and before deciding to start it, one should consider after whom it is to be named and what kinds of books it should make available to the townspeople, so that the library may be [suitably] named and its books read to some purpose.

And now about the portrait. Not only was Gokhale not hungry for fame, he did not even like being honoured in public. Often, on such occasions, he would cast his eyes down. If you believe that, when his portrait is unveiled, his soul will rest in peace, you are mistaken. This great man, when dying, thus declared his cherished wish: “After I am dead, my biography will be written, my statues will be put up and condolence meetings will be held; all this will avail but little to bring peace to my soul. My only wish is that the whole of India live as I have lived and that the Servants of India Society which I have established prosper.” They who are prepared to abide by this testament are entitled to unveil Gokhale’s portrait. Gokhale’s was a life of extensive activities. Today, I shall relate some incidents in his domestic life for the benefit of the women assembled here. It is an example for them to follow, for Gokhale

served his family very well. He never acted in a manner which would cause pain to anyone in the family. He refused to follow the current practice in Hindu society of marrying off a girl, doll-fashion, as soon as she reached the age of eight and so cast her away to sink in the sea. His daughter is still unmarried. He had to go through much in keeping her so. Moreover, he lost his wife while he was yet in the bloom of youth. He could have married again, but he did not. He served his family in many ways; ordinarily everyone does so. One may, however, serve one’s family either out of self-interest or to advance the interests of the nation. Gokhale had renounced all considerations of self-interest. He did his duty by the family, and then the town and then the country, as occasion demanded, with an undaunted spirit, with perseverance and labour. In Gokhale’s mind there was not a trace of the feeling that Hindus and Muslims are different. He regarded all with an equal eye and with affection. He would get angry sometimes, but the anger was provoked only by concern for national interests and it had invariably a wholesome effect on the other party. It even converted many Europeans who had been hostile into close friends.

Anyone who looks at Gokhale’s life, the whole of it, will see that he had made it synonymous with national service. He left this world of sorrow before he was fifty, and the only reason for this is that all the twenty-four hours of the day he laboured indefatigably, using up his mental and physical energies in the service of the nation. Never did he allow the petty concern for himself and his family to enter his mind. The only thing that concerned him was what he could do for the country. Gokhale, this high souled man, was also daily exercised over the issue of the uplift of the Antyaj communities, who constitute a great source of strength for the country, and he laboured in many ways to raise them up. If anyone commented on this, he would reply plainly that contact with an Antyaj was no defilement, that, on the contrary, one committed a heinous sin by entertaining the evil prejudice against such contact.

When I went to see how the Meghwad1 brethren here weave, I was surprised to hear the children accompanying me talk of defilement. While I don’t wish to take up on this occasion the subject of caste, I shall certainly say that, unless we assimilate these classes, one can hope for no improvement in one’s town or in the country. If you have any hopes for swaraj, you will be disappointed. So long as you have not shaken off unthinking faith, so long as dissensions continue in the home, the family, the town and society as a whole, so long will you shout in vain for swaraj. Formerly, there were 50 looms in Umreth and now only two remain, and even these are none too prosperous. The reason is to be sought in your narrow outlook. It is the duty of the leaders here that they develop the local industries and secure patronage for them. If they do not show such concern, they are not entitled to put up the portrait of a saint like Gokhale, dedicated to service of others. I don’t think, however, that Umreth is altogether devoid of spirit. It is a matter of satisfaction that it has expressed regard for Mahatma Gokhale and has recognized his achievements.”18

“No man is too old to learn and if you will learn and study what ought to be studied, you will become better men. You will then better know your rights as well as your duties. You can either waste your time and money by devoting both to drinking and gambling or you can use both usefully in educating yourselves and your children. I hope you will remember the few words I have spoken this evening and try to act according to what I have said. I thank you for giving me the opportunity of meeting you. May God bless you and yours and may you become citizens of India.”19

“In reply to the address Mahatma said that he was very much pleased with the address that was just presented to him and thanked the Honey. Secretary for it. He spoke very highly of the girl who took so much pain to beautify the nice bamboo casket with coloured khaddar and locally hand- spun yarn. From the synopsis supplied to him by the Secretary, he was glad to find that the Library possessed a good number of books and quite a large number of people assembled there every day to read the books, magazines and newspapers available there. He was, however, anxious to know the exact nature of the benefit they derived by going through these books, etc. Be that as it may, Mahatma proceeded to say that libraries had now become indispensable in our daily life. These libraries, he said, had now become a part and parcel of our existence, and it gratified him to see that this library contained all sorts of newspapers and magazines. Mahatma Gandhi then spoke on the importance of public libraries, laying special stress on the selection of books.”20

“The aim in running the Pravasi Bhavan is to start a library for immigrants. I hope that it will have books which meet their needs. Nowadays people keep all kinds of books, good and bad, in libraries. I trust that this library will have no bad books.”21

“We have a collection of some very useful books, so pay close attention to the library. We should have a few copies made of the lists of contents of those books. The books which are useless, that is to say, which are not worth reading should either be discarded or burnt. Books should be listed both language-wise and subject-wise and there should be lists of contents. The thing to do is to engage a person exclusively for the library. I feel that the work is so important that if no one from amongst us can be spared, then a person who is not interested in any other activity except the library work and who abides by our rules should be employed on a salary basis or else we should keep only those books which are of use to us and send the rest to the library of the Mahavidyalaya. This whole question needs consideration.”22

“Lajpat Rai Hall was conceived and commenced by Lala Lajpat Rai for the purpose of accommodating the library collected by him and for delivering political and other lectures. It was found difficult, if not impossible, to hire, at reasonable rates, a hall in Lahore for political lectures.”23

“Please see that the library makes progress day by day. It would be better if you get one or two persons who could give most of their time to the library. Do not have as your librarian a merchant who can only preserve your books but have someone who appreciates them and can select them. If no one volunteers for the task, offer higher remuneration. Allow the Harijans free use of the library and let them take books home. Please bear the loss if they soil or steal the books. They are lowest even among the poor. Allow this concession to all the poor if you can. That will bring credit to you.

My appeal is the same as that of Bhai Rasiklal that you should select the members of the library committee carefully. It should comprise men of letters. They will help keep the library alive. Do not think of having only the worldly-wise on the committee. Only the learned will know what a good library is and how it can shine forth. Carnegie gave donations to many libraries and many scholars accepted the onerous conditions. But the scholars of Scotland told Carnegie plainly that they did not care for his donations if he were to stipulate such conditions. How would you know what books ought to be had? Masters do not set out to hawk their art. In Gujarat a priceless collection of books lies in the custody of the merchant class. Beautiful collections of Jain literature are wrapped up in their silk cloths. My heart is sore at the sight of these books. What use can these book be when they have fallen into the hands of the ignorant merchants who can only pile up wealth? The Jain religion, too, is withering in their hands because they have reduced dharma to a formal business. Indeed, can dharma adjust itself to the ways of commerce? It is for commerce to adjust itself to the claims of dharma. I therefore appeal to you to have, as far as you can, learned men as members of your committee. May this library prosper?”24

“Has the Municipality taken over control of the Vidyapith library or did we ourselves rearrange the books? Has the construction of the library building started? If not, ask Balubhai when it will begin and let me know.”25

“I want you to send me little Marathi books that may be with you, Madalasa, or anybody else and are not of immediate use there, since I wish to set up a small library here and need Marathi books. They should be textbooks as well as books for general reading. The books will be returned to their owners if my scheme does not work. These should be lent for six months at least. And those books which can be given away are to be given away for good. Send me a list of the books that may be given away. I don’t propose to have a library costing more than ten rupees. This will give you an idea of the kind of books I want. If anybody preserves Marathi newspapers I would like to have them, too, after they are read there. This is not asking for any big donation. Nor do the seniors need be disturbed. However, some persons like you can easily undertake such work if they have a thought for the villagers. Do this job with your heart in it. If you do not find interest in it, say no, so that I may plead with someone else.”26

“I wrote to you hastily that they will be accommodated on the walls of the library, but it occurred to me at once that I was wrong in falling in with your proposal. I have always dissuaded friends from entertaining the desire to associate such memorials with their gifts. What is more, the regulation of the library will rest not with me, but with the trustees of whom I am not even one.”27

“I am very happy to have visited this Library. It is my wish that this organization may endure.”28

Thus we can say that Mahatma Gandhi knew it very well that library will play a very important role to improve common people life. By library poor people can gain knowledge. It is cheaper for him. So library is necessary for every nation. We can say to build up a big library in every area is duty of government and public.

References:

1.VOL.1: 1884 - 30 NOVEMBER, 1896 85

2. THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, Vol:I

3. THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, Vol:I

4. THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, Vol:I

5. . THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI VOL.1: 1884 - 30 NOVEMBER,

6. THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI VOL.1: 1884 - 30 NOVEMBER, 1896 181

7. LETTER TO “THE NATAL MERCURY”June 24, 1897

8. THE COLLECTED WORKS OF MAHATMA GANDHI, Vol:I, Page-308

9. SPEECH AT OPENING OF LIBRARY IN DURBAN, Vol:I, Page-128

10. Indian Opinion, 14-1-1905

11.July 23, 1906