Help pours in for torched library

Book lovers are standing in solidarity with a labourer whose collection was torched last week

Publishers and book lovers in Bengaluru are coming together to support a public-spirited man whose free library in Mysuru was burnt down last Friday.

Syed Isaaq, a daily wage labourer, was running a public library with a collection of 11,000 books, mostly in Kannada. Unidentified people torched down the library last week.

MyLang Books, an online bookstore that also produces audiobooks, is donating books worth Rs 10,000 to Isaaq.

Vasant Shetty, head of content and marketing of MyLang, says, “I was told that he doesn’t have space to keep books safely now. He has requested books and donations to be sent in after the land is cleared for rebuilding the library.”

Many publishers and writers contacted Shetty after he spoke to Isaaq and wrote about his plight on social media. “The plan is to have 25,000 books for the 11,000 that were burnt down,” he says.

Karnataka Book Publishers’ Association plans to donate 5,000 books to Isaaq on World Book Day, which falls on April 23. Prakash Kambathalli, president of the association and owner of Ankita Pustaka, says, “Ten to 15 publishers like NavaKarnataka Publishers, Vikas Publishers, Abhinav Prakashan, Srushti Publications, Sirivara Publications, and Ankita Pustaka have decided to come together and donate books for the cause. Our minimum target is 5,000 books.”

The library was located on land owned by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Many, including Bengaluru’s book community, are urging the government to grant Isaaq land to rebuild the library.

Social activist Roopesh Rajanna had met Isaaq two years ago and had put up a social media live video about his library. “I was one of the first he informed about the recent incident. I immediately spoke to the local administration, and Kannada Nazeer and I requested MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan to help Isaaq,” he says.

Online campaigns

A fundraiser campaign on Ketto.org, started by Misbah in Mysuru, has raised about Rs 28.51 lakh till Thursday. An online campaign by Muzaffar Assadi, professor of political science,University of Mysore, is also bringing in donations for the cause.