Hurdles cleared for model library at People's Park

1.5 lakh books lying unused in Cubbon Park, Bangalore

Director, department of public libraries, K G Venkatesh on Monday said the hurdles pertaining to the model library at the land identified for the purpose at People’s Park on Bangalore-Nilgiri Road here, are cleared.

He was speaking at a workshop on reading hobby, organised jointly by Samvahana Trust, Kannada Book Authority and Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Mysore district unit at Rajendra Bhavan here.

Earlier, when the land was identified there were hurdles owing to some reasons. Now, the roadblocks are cleared, the officer said.

The senior officer exhorted former V-C D Jaware Gowda to take up the matter with Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa to realise the plan.

Having a model library is utmost essential, as the cultural capital Mysore doesn’t boast of any such facility after City Central Library on Sayyaji Rao Road, that came into existence in 1915.

Deliberating on the library in Cubbon Park, in Bangalore, the officer disclosed that 1.5 lakh copyright books have been stored in a room, owing to renovation works. Of late, the number of readers have gone up and it’s evident with 3,000 copyright books registered with the department in 2008, followed by 4,500 in 2009 and 5,500 in 2010. When this is the phenomenal growth of the books registered, the citizens concerned also have a role to play, he  said.

Earlier, secretary to Kannada and culture department Ramesh Jhalaki, in contrast, said that reading habit among people is fast declining due to the impact of TV in the current scenario. Despite adding books to the existing shelves at the libraries, there are no takers for the same.

Citing his own example, the officer said he was a regular visitor to the library during his student days and also extensively studied while preparing for competitive exams. He gave a call to the intellectuals, litterateurs to join hands with the government for the progress of literature.