“Crying For Help”: As Books Lose To Screens, A Bhopal Library Rots Away

Once upon a time, this was a treasure trove. Now, a palace in ruins. Over 70,000 books at the heritage Iqbal library in Bhopal are rotting away due to neglect and a funds crunch. These books include rare works by stalwarts in Hindi, English, Urdu, Malayalam and Persian too. Also in the vast collection are seminal works of science, including books on engineering and medical science. About 80,000 books in the library were destroyed in the monsoon of 2017 and rainwater poured through the cracks in the run-down building.

Now, as books fight a losing war against screens, Iqbal Library is hoping for a miracle as some literary bodies race against time to save what they can from the decaying pages.

Set up by freedom fighter and public speaker Asif Shah in 1939, the library is named after Iqbal, the legendary poet whose works include the patriotic lines, Saare Jahan Se Accha Hindostaan Hamara, during the Freedom movement. Iqbal stayed in Pakistan after Partition and became its national poet. The library started in a small room in Bhopal’s Lakherapura neighbourhood. In 2001, it shifted to Bhopal’s Iqbal Maidan, its current address, in 2001. Located next to iconic monuments Moti Mahal, Shaukat Mahal and Sheesh Mahal, it is part of the city’s storied past. Interestingly, it is at Sheesh Mahal where the last Nawab of Bhopal Hamidullah Khan once hosted Iqbal.

On a visit to the heritage library, NDTV found heaps of books on the floor. Many shelves have not survived the decay and the ones still standing cannot hold all the volumes.

Authorities say the library is surviving on meagre grants — Rs 30,000 annually from Urdu Academy and Rs 68,000 from the Madhya Pradesh education department. Members pay a paltry Rs 50 a month, and with book lovers now a rare species, this hardly adds up to make a difference. Legendary playwright Safdar Hashmi said books aren’t just meant to be read — they are meant to be lived. And this slice of Bhopal’s life — and its history — is now on life support.  

Hasan M Siddiqui, the library’s secretary, said budget constraints are making conservation difficult. “There is a severe shortage of cupboards. We are slowly restoring damaged books, but budget constraints make it difficult. There are thousands of precious books here, but their preservation is delayed by lack of funds,” he said.

Several prominent institutions, including Rekhta Foundation, have joined the efforts to save the library’s heritage. A Rekhta staff has been stationed here to digitise books. “The rains damaged so many books, I have been scanning and digitising them since 2018. We need bookshelves and the building is in urgent need of repairs,” said Rekhta employee Rameez Raja.

The regular readers remember the library’s charm in its heydays. “The books that survive were saved by the staff who did whatever they could to preserve them. Some of these volumes are from pre-Independence, and there’s even a Shakespeare collection in Malayalam. I have been coming here for 10 years. Every time I see these books, I feel them crying for help,” said Hari, a frequent visitor.

But the cries of the books — and booklovers — have gone unheard so far. Writer Rajesh Joshi said, “The library’s management should be handed over to the Urdu Academy or it should be named a Central Library. Iqbal Library is important, and its preservation is urgent.”

Volunteers working at the library say they had reached out to elected representatives, but to no avail. “We called the offices of MP Alok Sharma and minister Krishna Gaur repeatedly to draw their attention to this issue, but they were busy with the election season and we got no response,” said a volunteer.

NDTV could not connect with the MP and the minister despite repeated attempts.