Outside Beant Singh Memorial Library in Sector 42, Chandigarh. (Express Photo by Kamleshwar Singh)
A NOTICE at the entrance to the Beant Singh Memorial Library reads, “If a member leaves a seat unoccupied for more than 10 minutes, the seat will be allotted to a member on the waiting list. Please do not leave bags and books to block the seats.” Such is the demand for a seat at the library that opened to the public in 2010.
Three women who have come down to the city from Himachal Pradesh to take coaching for different competitive examinations say members start queuing up from 7 am just to get a seat here. The library is open from 8 am to 8 pm from Monday to Friday and from 9 am to 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
This library can seat over 400 members daily and is used more as a study space. With three reading halls on the ground floor, the main library and computer centre are located on the first floor along with an auditorium, exhibition hall and conference room on the top floor. “It’s a multipurpose building that is one of the six buildings constructed by the memorial society spread over 14 acres. Other buildings are yet to come up, but a lack of funds has blocked the construction,” says the assistant librarian.
ALSO READ | Booked in Chandigarh
The library has 1,793 books covering topics on religions including Jainism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Confucianism. It also has books on histories of different countries, Indian epics and biographies. The books were bought when the library opened in 2010, but does not have any rare collections or digital archives.
“Our members are mostly those studying for competitive examinations, schoolchildren and government employees and academics. But they mostly come here to study and get their own books,” adds the assistant librarian.
In April, the Chandigarh Administration raised the membership fee to Rs 300 per month from Rs 50, but according to the library staff, it has not affected the overall membership that runs into thousands.
A member, who did not want to be named, says, “Some members protested the hike, but the staff said it was necessary as there was a shortage of funds.”
The member adds that the staff said the money from the hike will be used to cover the expenses for repairing the air-conditioners and toilets.
“But we’re happy that everything is working fine now. They have ensured that members get all the facilities. It is a great place to come and study in peace. When you watch others studying, the motivation increases automatically. There are too many distractions back home,” says the member.
The staff say the membership was free in the first year when the library opened. “It was a public service and so we decided to keep the fee nominal. We raised it to generate more funds,” says another library official.
The official adds that the library is “never empty” and is crowded in the mornings. Many members also take their work outside to the unkempt garden during winter.
A solitary memorial, a concrete structure that is being developed into a performing arts centre and a wide parking space present a stark picture. Maintained by a governing body of the Chandigarh Administration, the library does not have a librarian at present. Parveen Khurana, who got additional charge of the library along with the libraries in Sectors 17 and 34, retired recently.