ROMAIN ROLLAND LIBRARY: 190 -YEARS OLD TREASURE TROVE

                                               

ROMAIN ROLLAND LIBRARY: 177-OLD TREASURE TROVE

 N. NANDHIVARMAN        

 Courtesy  : New Indian Express : 20.8.2005     

Professor of literature at the French Lyce’e of Pondicherry m. BOURDAT, while writing on reconstruction of history, is candid in admitting that “it would be tedious to revel exclusively in stones and inscriptions. There remain texts, not only more lively than stones but often valuable monuments themselves.” To look into these texts there cannot be a better place than the Library named after French Scholar Roman Rolland, a close friend of Mahatma Gandhi.

The Romaine Rolland Library, next to Pondicherry News, is a treasure trove of knowledge, with 3,38,304 books in its possession this heritage of Pondicherry that enables “a stimulating contact with manuscripts” and its possessions must be preserved. The Care that is taken towards buildings and he money that flows towards architecture related projects must be diverted to knowledge –based projects and preserving of the rare manuscripts. But fortunately, it is the French Institutions that are still working in the right directions, whereas government Institutions have wakeup to the demands of times only recently.

National Mission for Manuscript has launched a week –long campaign beginning November 2004 digitalizing history. 5000 surveyors at the rate of 50 per districts will be combing 100 districts spread across various states to search for manuscripts. Susdha Gopalakrishnan ,director of the Mission, says, “At the end of their efforts, there will be no manuscript that the mission would not have digitalization. “ All districts of Karnataka and Orissa are lucky to be included in the mission. The other states have missed the bus in the South.

After the private imitative of Tamizh Thatha UVe Swaminathan Iyer, there has been no governmental efforts to collect rare manuscripts in Tamil. Now that UDA Government had declared Tamil as classical language efforts to bring Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry into this 100 district’s list must be taken up.

Many century old palm-leaf manuscripts still remain in certain homes, before all could be lost they should be digitalized , says Era Thirumurugan of the Tamil Development Action Group, Pondicherry.

“To begin with we have to reinvent our history by preserving the rare collection of books in the Roman Rolland Library. Around 27,000 rare collection of books are there in Roman Rolland Library or  to be precise , It should be so, through the task of tracing the missing and damaged books, computers  is on.” says Murugappan , information officer.

OUT OF 3,38,304 books in the Library  Tamil section has 1,20,000 books and English literature about 1,75.000 . In the reference section 22,300 books and in the children’s library has 40,000  Through the mobile  service,3000 books are reaching the reading public. The Government of Pondicherry provides, every year, Rs. 4 to 6 lakh of funds. And the new purchases for the year 2003-2004 is 4254 books.

Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library foundation of Kolkatta has so for provided 18,422 books under non-matching scheme free of cost. “Efforts must be taken to reach out to various other similar foundation s abroad to get books free for enlightening the knowledge,” says A.ARIVUNAMBI, Head of the department of Tamil at PONDICHERRY UNIVERSITY.

It appears that out of existing 3.00.000 books around  45.000 books have to be declared condemned books and replaced. The 54 branch libraries in Pondicherry have 4.30,000 books out of which 35,000 books are t5o be condemned. Existing books are too facing threats   from insects and the entire Library must be centrally air conditioned  along with periodical chemical and other treatments to keep book warms and other insects away. Years of neglect had come to an end with the Aegean stables being cleared under the dynamic vision of BV Selvaraj, Secretary , Arts & Culture, with the assistance of N Sumathi.

The heritage of a town is not all of its buildings. It is the priceless manuscripts, inscriptions, archaeological artifacts, copper plates, tombstones, rock art, folklore and paintings that is preserved in museums and libraries that brings to light many hidden facts about heritage. If a country or town falls to protect its books and rare manuscripts whatever recorded history is present till date will be lost.

The  Library movement in Pondicherry began with the Bibliotheque on May 1,1827. The library initially was near the railway station, then later shifted to Roman Rolland street where the mind was functioning. Next to Raj Niwas in the current location it functions from1974. With the advent of age of information and technology after 177 years this library is planning to digitalize books, manuscripts and all information and placing them on the internet for the scrutiny of one and all.

In Pondicherry, fortunately, many French books have been housed in the Roman Rolland  Library. In the post-merger phase with India, the replacement of French for English led to the neglect of that language and its rare collection of books. Catalogue General, a complication of rare books in Roman Rolland Library written by Madame Yvonne Robert Gaebele and published by Pondicherry Government in 1960., is yet to see a reprint or update. “Despite humidity, the parasites and the casualness in the treatment of the volumes precious editions have survived,” says Bourdat in his book 18^th Century Pondicherry.

Till very recently, there had been no librarian with the knowledge of French and decades of ignorance of French books in the Library has led to lot of loss to priceless books. The newly inducted assistant, who knows French, is courteous and helps researches with adequate information. Not only that, many valuable manuscripts were handed over to National Archives unnecessarily, instead of being preserved here. After decades of neglect the current Librarian Murugappan had started to put the house in order, admist rising expectations from research scholars.