Replies to This Forum

Permalink Reply by Md. Zubair Ahmad on March 2, 2018 at 4:18

I am totaly agree with you Sir

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Permalink Reply by R K on March 3, 2018 at 15:22

agree sir

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Permalink Reply by Ram Singh Bairwa on March 4, 2018 at 16:15

Yes Sir 

You are rt

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Permalink Reply by Sandip Das on March 4, 2018 at 23:04

Dear Sir,

I am totally disagree with your thought. First, see the names and understand their contributions and values towards the nation.

Gurudev is a World Famous personality not only in Bengal.

Netaji, Founder of INA,

Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay writer of Vandemataram.... They all are Indian.

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Permalink Reply by M. Koteswara Rao on March 5, 2018 at 1:58

Dear Mr Das,

I think you have mistaken. I never said that the persons proposed for the museum are not eminent. Indeed they are our country's greatest personalities of all times; but my point is that they do not belong to the library profession. National Library Kolakata should first create a museum for eminent library persons like SR Ranganathan, Raja Rammohun Roy, Ayyanki Venkata Ramanaiah, Maharaja Sayajirao Gaikwad and others who contributed immensely to the public library movement during the Independence days.

Dr. M. Koteswara Rao

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Permalink Reply by Sandip Das on March 6, 2018 at 17:22

Dear Mr. Rao,

I think Library should be for all and Guru Dev Rabindranath Tagore 1st introduced the concept Mobile Library in Shantiniketan in the 19th century. For your kind information, a well decorated Dr. S R Ranganathan Museum is already established by DRTC in 2014 at Indian Statistical Institute Bangalore, So what are the need of repetition. 

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Permalink Reply by AMIT KUMAR on March 5, 2018 at 16:08

Respected Sir,

I think that the system is biased all together in every institution of repute.

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on March 7, 2018 at 4:13

Dear Dr. Rao,

Thanks for your post and the context. I have gathered information from my acquaintances in National Library (However, I can not confirm the authenticity of the information) and as I learnt, it was a government decision/ directive and the National Library authority had little say on it. The idea was to create "Galleries" for eminent Personalities having contribution to our freedom Movement. The National Library never belongs to Bengal only, it is one of our National assets like, say, the great Salar Jung Museum. It certainly not of Andhra Pradesh/ Telengana!!

As an end note, may I add a few lines with all humility that Bengal or Bengalees are regarded as sort of Radical & Non-Communal by nature and outlook. The best example as I often delightfully observe, are the sign-boards of shops.They are often written in provincial languages besides Bengali or English to flaunt the identity of the owners.

With Regards,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by Surajit on March 7, 2018 at 5:14

I agree very much with Mr. Siddhartha S. Ray...

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Permalink Reply by M. Koteswara Rao on March 7, 2018 at 21:57

Dear Dr Ray,

Thanks for pondering on the controversial issue and giving us some background information about the proposed 'gallery of eminent personalities who have contributed to our freedom movement". If what you said is correct, then the National Library Kolkata has ignored other freedom fighters like Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhai Patel, Rajendraprasad, Jawaharlal Nehru, Lala Lajpatrai, Bhagat singh, Abdul kalam Azad and many others who are involved in the freedom movement?

Your answer does not justify or answer my question. So, let us keep aside our regional sentiments and take a pragmatic view of the action taken by the National library.  We all know there are many museums and galleries in our country each one with a specifific purpose. Perhaps you may recollect that sometime in the middle of 1990s there was a country-wide signature campaign whether to shift the National library from Calcutta to another central city like Bhopal or Nagpur for reasons known to all of us. In the end it was dropped because the people of Bengal can never allow this at any cost; and also because the State has the highest literacy rate (> 75%) and the reading habits of its citizen are the best.

In my opinion the National Library is our pride and a treasure house of Indian knowledge and it is our duty to protect it from any 'political sways'. Leaving this apart, I have no intention to hurt the feelings of anyone from Bengal or otherwise.

(PS: I also request you to kindly see the recent news about BJP holding its party meeting in the National Library)

With regards,

Dr. M. Koteswara Rao

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Permalink Reply by Siddhartha Shankar Ray on March 7, 2018 at 23:43

Dear Dr. Rao.

Thanks for your reply. As I mentioned in my post it was the decision/directive of the Government & the present administration has just accepted it. I was also extremely surprised to read about the recent Party Meeting of BJP in the National Library premise! I presume, it is probably for the first time that the National Library is used for any Political Party meeting and the present Administration had to "give in"  (there is no denying that it was lack of Guts of the present administration not to give in!) and it seems that it was the same attitude which was active during the decision of  setting up of the museums.

With Regards,

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta

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Permalink Reply by M. Koteswara Rao on March 8, 2018 at 18:27

Dear Dr Ray,

I am glad that you have understood the main issue in the right context and expressed your views in a fair manner.  

What bothers me is that, political parties are interfering with the internal administration of institutions which are supposed to be autonomous like the Universities, NCERT, Censor boards, UGC, Prasar Bharathi, etc., which is curtailing or weakening the 'academic & intellectual freedom' in the country. I think all of us should raise an alarm as and when such incidents happen so that we as library professionals can bring in the required change in the public library system.

with regards,

Dr. M. Koteswara Rao   

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