Facebook Twitter Instagram
    India Art Review
    • Dance
    • Music
    • Art
    • Heritage
    • Theatre
    • Books
    • Films
    • Team
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    India Art Review
    Home»Books»Shelf Life: The Lure of the Library (Part 2)
    Books

    Shelf Life: The Lure of the Library (Part 2)

    Vineeth AbrahamBy Vineeth AbrahamMay 27, 2021
    Share
    WhatsApp Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram
    Vineeth Abraham calls himself a “complete, utter and unapologetic bibliophile”. He loves books “not just for their content, but for their appearance, the font, the page quality, the smell, the edition, and most of all, the cover”. The owner of arguably one of the largest personal libraries in the country, Abraham hails from Irinjalakuda, Kerala. He worked with the Central Secretariat, New Delhi, during 1989-2017. In Shelf Life, Abraham writes about reading, books, and beyond. 

    The third library I was a member of in Thiruvananthapuram was the Kerala University Library in Palayam, which stood next to the Thiruvananthapuram Public Library. Any student of Kerala University could apply for a membership here and I lost no time in becoming a member, along with my book-loving friends. This was another huge library, spread over two floors like the Public Library though not quite as large. The stack rooms were quite dark and the lighting was inadequate giving the shelves a mysterious, brooding air. I would not have been surprised if the Hunchback of Notre Dame, the Phantom of the Opera, Frankenstein’s Monster or even the infamous Count from Transylvania appeared suddenly in those eerie environs. Moreover, the fiction section, the area I was really interested in, was quite limited as the majority of books were subject-oriented. 

    The books were not as well maintained as in the British Council but they were not ruthlessly torn apart and rebound either, like in the Thiruvananthapuram Public Library. I did discover some excellent authors here though, including the American humorist Thorne Smith, author of Topper, The Jovial Ghosts and numerous other comic masterpieces. The other notable book I first read here was Brian Garfield’s flawed but compelling masterpiece of western fiction Wild Times. I was so enamoured of the book that I searched far and wide for a copy before getting a tattered copy in Sakchi Market, Jamshedpur of all places. I lovingly restored that copy and stored it in my library until I got a near-mint, pristine paperback from Daryaganj. All good things come to he who waits. The librarian there was a bespectacled unfriendly lady with the snarl of a Dobermann whenever you made any enquiry. I decided to keep away from her as I didn’t want to find out first hand if her bite was as fearsome as her bark.

    Reading in Delhi 

    In 1989 I shifted to Delhi when I got a job in the Central Secretariat. My first posting was in the Ministry of HRD, Department of Education in Shastri Bhawan on Rafi Marg, a stone’s throw from Parliament House, North and South Blocks and Rashtrapati Bhawan. I paid no heed to the fact that I was so close to buildings steeped in history. My first enquiry after I joined duty was the address of the British Council Library in Delhi. To my delight, I found that the library was situated just across the road on the first floor of the AIFACS building. 

    This was the answer to a book lover’s dream. I immediately became a member and for the remainder of my ten-year tenure in Shastri Bhawan, I used to visit the library every lunch hour without fail. The AIFACS building also had two big halls on the ground floor which were often rented out for exhibitions and book sales. Book fairs used to be held here very often where I would get hold of wonderful books, many of them remaindered books from libraries in Britain and the USA, for as little as Rs 5 each for hardcovers complete with plastic-encased dust jackets. These books are now an intrinsic part of my collection and I love to look at the library stickers which indicate the various libraries they were once a part of. 

    The British Council library in Delhi was the main library of the British Council in India, but what I found surprising was that there were very few members compared to the membership in the British Council Library, Thiruvananthapuram. Delhiites obviously had more important things to spend their time on than on a pile of musty books. The library itself was beautifully appointed and furnished like the one in Thiruvananthapuram and it was a real pleasure to spend hours there, lost in the world of books. Around about the end of the millennium, the library shifted to its own spanking new building on Kasturba Gandhi Marg near Connaught Place. This meant that my daily library visit had to be curtailed and I began to visit every Saturday instead. The new premises were very comfortable and even better furnished than the earlier one. A new addition was the DVD library of video and audio discs which could be borrowed by members. 

    After the shift to the new place which was more centrally located, I noticed a sudden rise in visitors to the library. Most of these were students who did not become members but would come as visitors and spend hours in the library consulting books and taking notes. The numerous tables and chairs for members used to be filled up by students from 10 am onwards until the library was forced to install ‘Reserved for Members’ signs on the tables, chairs and sofas.

    British Council Library Delhi
    British Council Library Delhi

    I also became a member of the American Centre Library, located almost directly opposite the British Council Library on Kasturba Gandhi Marg. Another huge library, this had a limited fiction collection but extensive collections on films, music and history and a huge Reference Section where you could find books on all aspects of American culture. It also had a collection of almost 70 years of popular American newspapers on microfiche which could be read on computer screens. It was an experience reading the newspaper reports on world-changing events like the attack on Pearl Harbour, the death of Hitler and the end of World War II, the assassinations of Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy and John Lennon, just to cite a few examples. 

    The drawback about this library was the extraordinary amount of security and the atmosphere almost of paranoia you had to negotiate before you would be grudgingly allowed entry. Every visitor was viewed as a potential suicide bomber or close associate of Osama Bin Laden by the numerous security guards, and the metal detectors, patdowns and examination of personal baggage would sometimes get on your nerves until you wondered whether it was worth going to all this trouble to read a book. But of course, it was worth it, so one grit one’s teeth and grinned and bore it.

    Yet another library I was a member of was the Central Secretariat Library which was situated in the Annexe of Shastri Bhawan, which also housed my office. This was again a library with quite a large number of books but, typical of a government library, the books were in abysmal condition, the shelving haphazard and the whole place smelt of mould, mothballs and the dust of ancient times, probably like the Tomb of Tutankhamun had smelt when first opened after centuries. 

    The librarians appeared to know nothing whatsoever about books and you were left to fend for yourself in a sea of books that did not follow any conceivable pattern of shelving. Cookery books could be found in the Biology Section, books on physics in the fiction section and on one memorable occasion I found a copy of a book on Florence Nightingale perched in between the works of Omar Khayyam. ‘A swathe of bandage, a jug of morphine and thou’ is what Khayyam would have written after this close association with the Angel of the Crimea and the poetry of romance would have turned out very differently.

    These were the major libraries that played a huge part in my life. There were several smaller libraries, of course; like the Das Lending Library and Bhagya Lending Library in Thiruvananthapuram and Ram Gopal Varma and Sons Library in Karol Bagh, Delhi and its branch in Shankar Market. In fact, there were two Ram Gopal Sharma and Sons second-hand book shops in Shankar Market, both run by feuding cousins each of whom would speak disparagingly of the other. One of these was an ex-stage magician and I used to be fascinated by his stories and secrets of his profession. These were the tiny ponds interspersed in between the mighty oceans of books that the big libraries held. A good thing I was a good swimmer.

    Me, the librarian

    Now, of course, after almost four decades of book hunting, primarily in Daryaganj but also in second-hand book markets all over India which I had occasion to visit in pursuance of my official duties, I have a pretty decent library of my own, and I am my own librarian, thus realizing my childhood dream. Bombay, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad have proved to be rich hunting grounds and even smaller towns like Dehradun, Mussoorie, Nagpur, Jamshedpur, Raipur and Panjim have contributed towards building up my library. 

    This obsessive book collection does have its drawbacks. In Kerala, a huge collection of books in people’s houses is commonplace. In Delhi, it used to raise eyebrows and have people rolling their eyes and mouthing ‘paagal hai’, sotto voce. Guests at my home in Delhi would stare at my room full of books and nod knowingly, ‘Acchha, so you buy books second hand and sell them. Good idea. There is a good profit to be had’. On being indignantly informed that I did not sell books they would look quizzically at the stash of books and say ‘OK. So you want to start a lending library, do you?’. Again I would deny any intention of lending my precious books to anyone. They would look astonished and query ‘Then why do you have so many books? What will you do with them?’. 

    Vineeth Abraham at his library
    Vineeth Abraham at his library in Irinjalakuda, Kerala

    I will read them of course, would be my reply. By now they would be totally flabbergasted. ‘Read them’ they would chorus, taking a couple of steps back, nervously. Whoever heard of buying books to read them. ‘And once you’ve read them you’ll sell them’, they’d say, comprehension dawning. ‘No. Once I’ve read them I’ll store them to read again later’. By now they would be convinced that I was mad as a hatter and would leave hurriedly, without waiting to say goodbye. Come to think of it, this was a blessing in disguise as my books would remain safe without people wanting to borrow them. 

    Libraries have thus played a major role in my life. They have been a haven, a refuge, a sanctuary from the daily grind of existence. ‘I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library ‘, said Jorge Luis Borges’. Marcus Tullius Cicero once said ‘If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need’. Both of them hit the nail on the head. I couldn’t have put it better myself. 

    (To be continued. Read Part 1 of Shelf Life here)

    best books best libraries book recommendations book shelf books books for adults books for all books for children books for kids books for school children delhi books featured libraries reading clubs school books shelf life shelf life column vineeth vineeth abraham
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Telegram WhatsApp
    Previous ArticleFr. Paul Poovathingal: Singing Priest With a Healing Voice
    Next Article Fr. Paul Poovathingal’s Shastipoorthi celebration
    Vineeth Abraham India Art Review
    Vineeth Abraham

      Vineeth Abraham calls himself a “complete, utter and unapologetic bibliophile”. He owns a large personal library and resides in Irinjalakuda, Kerala. In Shelf Life, Abraham writes about reading, books, and beyond.

      Related Posts

      Whispers of Rain and Redemption: A Journey Through “What Else Is Rain?”

      March 13, 2025
      Stephen King

      King of the Macabre

      February 23, 2025
      Books

      Serendipity or Not Just Another Sucker

      January 15, 2025

      5 Comments

      1. Aroon on May 27, 2021 6:59 am

        Enthralling as ever: a virtual history of Libraries!!

        Reply
      2. Lulu Thomas on May 27, 2021 12:55 pm

        Very interesting. Hope he is giving local children access to library to encourage reading!!!

        Reply
      3. Sandhya Rao on May 28, 2021 5:51 am

        Always a delight to burrow into the head of a fellow bookworm!

        Reply
      4. Mj philipose on May 28, 2021 4:02 pm

        Good writing

        Reply
      5. Shivam Yadav on May 21, 2022 8:35 pm

        Brilliant Post!!! This post is very helpful for every bookworm. I suggest everyone to read this post. Thank you so much for sharing this very beautiful content with us. Keep it up…

        Reply

      Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

      Author In Focus VK Karthika

      Pathaan

      Pathaan: A Triumph of Love Over Hate

      V K KarthikaMarch 31, 2023

      Pathaan breaks the typical stereotype of Islamic Terrorism.

      Avatar

      Eastern Ethos Lifts up Cameron’s Avatar Sequel

      V K KarthikaJanuary 31, 2023

      Eastern ethos and laws of the nature are set to get a new tech-driven meaning as Cameron is planning two more sequels.

      Yazh

      Reviving Yazh, the Indian Harp

      V K KarthikaNovember 28, 2022

      Without Tharun, Yazh, an ancient instrument would not have taken birth in modern times

      Tholppavakoothu

      Girl Power up in Puppetry

      V K KarthikaSeptember 30, 2022

      Rajitha Ramachandra Pulavar and her team gave a new meaning to Tholppavakkooth and the body politics went in for a change in 2021

      Nanjiyamma tribal singer of Attappady

      Why the National Award for Tribal Singer Nanjiyamma Matters

      V K KarthikaAugust 27, 2022

      India witnessed a debate on the ‘purity of music’ when tribal singer Nanjiyamma won the National Award.

      EVENTS

      Nangiyarkoothu

      Celebrating 60 Years of Dance Excellence

      India Art ReviewMay 23, 2025

      Swara-dhi: A Soulful Summer Camp for Music Connoisseurs

      India Art ReviewMay 23, 2025
      Sooryakanthi festival

      Sooryakanthi Dance Festival From Nov 28- Dec 1

      India Art ReviewNovember 25, 2024

      Memorial Awards and Dance Performances in Chennai

      India Art ReviewNovember 25, 2024

      Have You Read These?

      Youth

      The Fountain of Youth

      Vineeth AbrahamMay 16, 2023

      What will happen when a bookworm set out to clean his library? One of the…

      The Elephant Whisperers

      Poetics of Fostering the Animal: The Elephant Whisperers

      Babu Rajan P PMay 1, 2023

      With the decline of natural habitats, human-elephant conflict has seen a surge, often leaving the majestic creatures as unwitting participants. “The Elephant Whisperers” documentary pays homage to the conservation endeavors aimed at preserving these habitats and raising awareness among communities about the perils of anthropocentrism.

      1899 and the Virtual Studio: Futuristic Filmmaking

      IAR DeskMarch 12, 2023

      1899, the new web series from the creators of German masterpiece Dark, will be filmed entirely in a virtual studio. Here’s all you wanted to know about ‘Volume’ and why it matters to futuristic filmmaking.

      Yazh

      Reviving Yazh, the Indian Harp

      V K KarthikaNovember 28, 2022

      Without Tharun, Yazh, an ancient instrument would not have taken birth in modern times

      A ‘Lyrical Dance’ Tribute to Edassery’s Poem

      G S PaulNovember 8, 2022

      Choreographic ingenuity of Vinitha Nedungadi created alluring visuals of the sublime poetic imagination of Edassery in Anthithiri.

      vijayakumar menon

      Vijayakumar Menon Taught Kerala How to Appreciate Art

      Renu RamanathNovember 3, 2022

      The only wealth Menon amassed during his solitary journey was that of art. When Vijayakumar…

      About
      About

      India Art Review is a dedicated digital journal of art and culture, based in Chennai and with representatives in Kerala, Delhi, the UAE, Canada and the US.

      We're social, connect with us:

      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn Telegram
      People in Art
      NP Ramaswamy: Carnatic Vocalist, Lyricist and Composer

      NP Ramaswamy: Carnatic Vocalist, Lyricist and Composer

      November 5, 2020
      Kalamandalam Gopi: Ethereal Beauty of Pacha Vesham

      Kalamandalam Gopi: Ethereal Beauty of Pacha Vesham

      May 22, 2021

      Remembering Ammannur Parameswara Chakyar

      January 1, 2021
      K P Narayana Pisharody: A Colossus of His Times

      K P Narayana Pisharody: A Colossus of His Times

      March 25, 2021
      Must Reads
      Mangad Natesan

      Remembering Carnatic Musician Mangad Natesan

      May 3, 2024
      P K G Nambiar

      PKG Nambiar(1930-2023): The Man who Redefined the Role of Vidooshaka

      May 10, 2023
      Kanak Rele

      Dr. Kanak Rele (1937-2023): A Revolutionary in Dance 

      February 22, 2023
      Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

      Adieu, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma

      May 10, 2022
      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube RSS
      • Home
      • About
      Copyright © 2022. India Art Review

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.