Prominent Bengali writer, Rai Bahadur Jaladhar Sen, once commented after visiting the Rajshahi Sadharan Granthagar (Rajshahi Public Library) on October 2, 1931, that he would like to call it the "abode of God". He was overwhelmed with joy to get an opportunity to visit the "Abode". The over 130-year-old library is in a poor shape today. Plasters on the walls and ceilings are falling; the wooden staircase leading to the first floor is rickety and waiting to collapse any moment, causing a serious accident. Many valuable books and magazines are being destroyed for the lack of sufficient rooms and shelves.

Recently, a plan has been mooted to build a multi-storied building by demolishing the existing one with Indian financial assistance. The proposed building will contain, in addition to the library rooms, a 300-seat auditorium. However; there are diverse opinions on the issue of construction of a new building by demolishing the old one.

Fazley Hossain Badsha, member of Parliament of the Rajshahi-2 (Sadar) constituency, said many people of Rajshahi feel the old building is a traditional and historical building. They want the new building to be constructed beside the old one, and thus keep it intact.

The structure of the library is rather weak as it stands on soil foundation. This is why it was difficult to repair or renovate the building. As such, they were planning to make a replica of the building at the same spot. These people have vowed to retain the heritage building, he added.

“The new building will be of the same design and will look exactly like the old one. All the characteristics of the old building, including the archive of the library, will be kept intact,” Badsha said.

However, Mosaddeque Hossain Bulbul, Mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, said the old library building will be demolished. A new multi-storied building complex with a new design will be constructed there with increased facilities.

Dr Sajjad Bokul, teacher of Journalism and Mass Comunication at Rajshahi University (RU) and the president of RU Film Society, said the Rajshahi Public Library holds memorabilia, as well as memories of many famous personalities of the subcontinent.

The library has been visited and praised by great personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, poet Nazrul Islam and poet Jasim Uddin. Such a historical library should be saved at all costs, he added.

Poet Shamim Hossain, who was honoured with the Kali o Kolom award, urged poets, writers, journalists and cultural activists to protect the traditional library, and said there was a deep conspiracy to destroy it. He said a group of writers and cultural activists in Rajshahi supported demolition of the old building. Some contractors have a hand in this, he alleged.

Development can take place, but why should a historic building be demolished, he asked the authorities. He urged civil society members and cultural activists of the city to raise their voice against demolition of the Rajshahi Public Library.

Conscious people of Rajshahi, including cultural activists, dramatists and educationists, have opposed the proposed demolition of the historic library. They say historical old houses of poet and litterateur Askhay Kumar Maitra and film director Ritwik Ghatak in Rajshahi have already been demolished. If the old library is brought down, memories of many great people will be erased.