Revisiting History 

CHENNAI: Sixty-two-year-old Murthy’s finger traced the lines in a yellowed binding of Review of Education in India, 1886, his glasses sitting precariously on his nose.  On the need for special education for children of European extraction, Lord Canning in the review states, “If measures for educating these children are not promptly and vigorously encouraged and aided by the Government, we shall soon find ourselves embarrassed in all large towns and stations with a floating population of Indianised English, loosely brought up and exhibiting most of the worst qualities of both races.”

“See, this was and still continues to be the condition of our education system,” said Murthy, a resident of Mylapore, straightening his glasses. The review is one among the 177 books on display at the old Connemara library building, which is open to public as part of the three-day exhibition on account of World Book Day (April 23). The section, usually closed for public viewing although visitors can get staffers to get specific books for reference, will be open till today. 

Books from the library’s rare collections, mostly from the 1800s were arranged on circular tables for visitors to skim through, on topics ranging from meteorology to Mughal art.  From Minutes of the Evidence taken at the trial of Warren Hastings (Late Governor General of Bengal in 1788, the display also has the Holy Bible, published in Geneva by Robert Barker in 1608. 

Uma Gopalan, another resident of Mylapore who visited the library with her grand daughter Varsha, a college student, said, “I’ve lived in the city for 40 years but it is the first time I’ve come here. I’m glad we did.” They said they enjoyed the taste of history under the stained glass patterns of the sprawling roof. 
For 67-year-old Lakshminarayanan from Porur, visiting the old building was a homecoming of sorts.  “I used to spend so much time here as a young man in the 1960s. Since it was closed for public access, I’m coming back here after over 40 years,” he said.  He has since missed the mahogany and its old British charm the most. 

A time gone by

The mean temperature recorded in May, said to be the hottest month of the year, in the then Madras station was merely 30 degree Celsius, according to a 19th century meteorological review — the stuff of folklore in a city which only last summer, recorded a maximum of 43.6 degree Celsius. To the young visitors, some of the information in the books were ‘unbelievable’ to the point of amusement. According to a report of the Committee on Indian Students, in 1921-22, the total number of Indian students in the whole of the United Kingdom, as on October 1921 was 1,450. 

Say this to 11-year-old Kanishka and she giggled. “Our school has more students than that.” Diana, a research scholar from Nungambakkam, brought her 5-year-old to see the exhibit on Tuesday.  “She loves books. Luckily it’s summer vacation. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to bring her here on a weekday,” said Diana. The section has seen 510 visitors as on Tuesday afternoon, said R Kumaravel, section-in-charge. 

League of its own

The library, that was inaugurated on December 5, 1896, was open to lending only in the year 1930, said librarian P Meenakshisundaram. Explaining the lack of Indian publications on display, he said, “It was only after 1954 that Indian publications were brought in to the library. What we have on display are publications that date back much earlier.” Under the Delivery of Books and Newspapers Act of 1954, the Connemara public library is entitled to receive a copy of every publication brought out by anyone anywhere in the country, making it one of the four National Depository libraries in India.