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Historic Meerut Library Crumbles: Cultural Heritage at Risk
14 Sep
Summary
- Over 50,000 precious volumes are deteriorating due to neglect.
- The library once hosted leaders like Gandhi and Vivekananda.
- Municipal authorities have failed to provide necessary funds.
Tilak Pustakalaya Avam Vachanalaya in Meerut, established in 1886, is experiencing a cultural crisis due to neglect and lack of funds. This historic institution, once a hub for intellectual discourse, now sees over 50,000 volumes, including rare manuscripts in Urdu, Persian, and Sanskrit, rapidly deteriorating.
Originally founded as Sir Lyall Library and later named after Bal Gangadhar Tilak, it was a significant meeting place for leaders of India's freedom movement, including Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda. Vivekananda, known for his photographic memory, was a frequent visitor in 1890.
Managed by the Meerut Municipal Corporation, the library suffers from low public engagement and decaying collections. Essential restoration, climate control, and digital cataloguing are needed, but repeated appeals for financial assistance to authorities have yielded no results. The future of this repository of India's intellectual heritage remains uncertain.
