Public library hamstrung by funds crunch in Jashore

The Jashore Institute Public Library, a non-government public library, is one of the oldest and largest public libraries in the subcontinent. Founded in 1854, it has survived for 164 years, despite several attempts to destroy it.

Earlier, the library had received donations from different organisations, including the Jessore municipality, the Jessore district administration, the Jashore Education Board, the Khulna Divisional Development Board, the National Book Centre, the education ministry and the Asia Foundation, but all donations have now stopped.

This institute has been reeling under a funds shortage for a long time. The acting convenor of the Jessore Institute Public Library, Md. Hossain Showkat, who is the additional deputy commissioner (ADC), told this correspondent that the executive body of the Jashore Public Library has been dissolved to hold new elections. “I am the acting convenor of the committee one behalf of the Jashore deputy commissioner (DC), who is the president of the Jashore Institute Public Library.”

The Jashore Public Library, the largest non-governmental educational and cultural institute in the country, has preserved a lot of rare works. Most of the manuscripts preserved in the library are from the Ram Narayan Public Library (founded in 1907) at Lohagora in Narail District by way of donation.

After the Public Library Act was passed by the British parliament in 1850, the Rajnarayan Bose Memorial Library was founded in Medinipur in undivided Bengal in 1851. The Jashore public Library was founded in Jashore three years later. It was housed in a small tin shed. It is one of the three oldest and largest such libraries in not only the subcontinent but in the whole of Asia. It was followed by the establishment of the Woodburn Public Library in Bogra, the Barisal Public Library and the Hooghly Public Library, which were all established through private initiatives. No financial assistance was sought from the government.

Jashore’s collector RC Reeks established the Jashore Public Library with financial assistance from the then zamindar of Narail and Naldanga and European indigo planters. The English planters had chosen Jashore and settled down in different areas of the district for cultivation of indigo from 1795 onwards.

Initially, this library served foreign visitors and the local elite. This system continued till the departure of the notorious indigo planters. Only the elite of the town, including senior members of the Jashore Bar, had access to the library.

After the Indian National Congress was formed in 1885, an eminent lawyer of the local Bar Council, Pyari Mohan Guha, became the first chairman of the Jashore municipality. From that time onwards, the educated middle class got access to library facilities. The public library was shifted to and housed at the town hall in 1909. Abinash Chandra Sarkar, a member of the Jashore Bar, built the Biswanath Sarkar Memorial hall in memory of his father to accommodate the Jashore Public Library in 1927. Noted philanthropist Roy Bahadur Jadunath Majumder, with the active help and support of the then district magistrate of Jashore, Khan Bahadur MA Momen, amalgamated Jashore Public Library with the new Earth Theatre and Town Hall under the name of Jessore Institute in 1928. Majumder became the founder secretary general of the Jessore Institute and Momen became the ex-officio president of the Jessore Institute.

During World War II, in 1942, the Royal Air force occupied the public library buildings. After that it was shifted to the municipal building. It was brought back to its own buildings in 1946, though these had been badly damaged and so were quite unfit for use. The period from 1948 to 1953 was the blackest chapter in the history of the Jashore Institute, following India’s and Bengal’s Partition in 1947. In 1995, the United Front government provided funds for its development. Serious efforts were made to modernise the Institution. During the stewardship of Prof. Sharif Hossain, the institute made tremendous progress. He was the driving force behind the foundation of the book bank of the institute.

The book bank is an institution through which books can be requisitioned.

The books are returnable within a specified period of time. The public library supplies books to 70 other book banks in rural areas from its regional central book bank free of cost.

The Jashore Institute runs a drama club, a sports club, a town club and a primary school. The new book bank hall, funded by the Khulna Divisional Development Board, was constructed in 1978.

Public library hamstrung by funds crunch in Jashore

The Jashore Institute Public Library, a non-government public library, is one of the oldest and largest public libraries in the subcontinent. Founded in 1854, it has survived for 164 years, despite several attempts to destroy it. Earlier, the library had received donations from different organisations, including the Jessore municipality, the Jessore district administration, the Jashore Education Board, the Khulna Divisional Development Board, the National Book Centre, the education ministry and the Asia Foundation, but all donations have now stopped. This institute has been reeling under a funds shortage for a long time. The acting convenor of the Jessore Institute Public Library, Md. Hossain Showkat, who is the additional deputy commissioner (ADC), told this correspondent that the executive body of the Jashore Public Library has been dissolved to hold new elections. I am the acting convenor of the committee one behalf of the Jashore deputy commissioner (DC), who is the president of the Jashore Institute Public Library. The Jashore Public Library, the largest non-governmental educational and cultural institute in the country, has preserved a lot of rare works. Most of the manuscripts preserved in the library are from the Ram Narayan Public Library (founded in 1907) at Lohagora in Narail District by way of donation. After the Public Library Act was passed by the British parliament in 1850, the Rajnarayan Bose Memorial Library was founded in Medinipur in undivided Bengal in 1851. The Jashore public Library was founded in Jashore three years later. It was housed in a small tin shed. It is one of the three oldest and largest such libraries in not only the subcontinent but in the whole of Asia. It was followed by the establishment of the Woodburn Public Library in Bogra, the Barisal Public Library and the Hooghly Public Library, which were all established through private initiatives. No financial assistance was sought from the government. Jashores collector RC Reeks established the Jashore Public Library with financial assistance from the then zamindar of Narail and Naldanga and European indigo planters. The English planters had chosen Jashore and settled down in different areas of the district for cultivation of indigo from 1795 onwards. Initially, this library served foreign visitors and the local elite. This system continued till the departure of the notorious indigo planters. Only the elite of the town, including senior members of the Jashore Bar, had access to the library. After the Indian National Congress was formed in 1885, an eminent lawyer of the local Bar Council, Pyari Mohan Guha, became the first chairman of the Jashore municipality. From that time onwards, the educated middle class got access to library facilities. The public library was shifted to and housed at the town hall in 1909. Abinash Chandra Sarkar, a member of the Jashore Bar, built the Biswanath Sarkar Memorial hall in memory of his father to accommodate the Jashore Public Library in 1927. Noted philanthropist Roy Bahadur Jadunath Majumder, with the active help and support of the then district magistrate of Jashore, Khan Bahadur MA Momen, amalgamated Jashore Public Library with the new Earth Theatre and Town Hall under the name of Jessore Institute in 1928. Majumder became the founder secretary general of the Jessore Institute and Momen became the ex-officio president of the Jessore Institute. During World War II, in 1942, the Royal Air force occupied the public library buildings. After that it was shifted to the municipal building. It was brought back to its own buildings in 1946, though these had been badly damaged and so were quite unfit for use. The period from 1948 to 1953 was the blackest chapter in the history of the Jashore Institute, following Indias and Bengals Partition in 1947. In 1995, the United Front government provided funds for its development. Serious efforts were made to modernise the Institution. During the stewardship of Prof. Sharif Hossain, the institute made tremendous progress. He was the driving force behind the foundation of the book bank of the institute. The book bank is an institution through which books can be requisitioned. The books are returnable within a specified period of time. The public library supplies books to 70 other book banks in rural areas from its regional central book bank free of cost. The Jashore Institute runs a drama club, a sports club, a town club and a primary school. The new book bank hall, funded by the Khulna Divisional Development Board, was constructed in 1978.