Elders feel a void as Mapusa’s 137-year library shut

PANAJI: Residents of Mapusa, especially senior citizens, have been robbed of their opportunity to keep their minds active and healthy after the town’s lone public library was shut down.
The Athaide Municipal Library, one of the oldest in the state and in existence since 1883, used to receive large footfalls and was shut on September 13 last year with no immediate alternative arrangements made for its relocation.
The elderly, for whom the library and its reading hall provided an opportunity to keep abreast on current affairs and delay the onset of dementia and Alzheimer’s, are feeling the void after the old municipal building that housed the library was closed by the local civic body.
One of the regulars at the library was Mapusa resident and senior citizen Simon Pereira who would spend up to two hours reading various newspapers and magazines.
“Now I only read two newspapers at home as I cannot afford to buy six newspapers every day. I used to read The Times of India regularly at the library,” 78-year-old Pereira told TOI.
The reading hall was always crowded in the evenings, sometimes even making it difficult to find a seat, he said. “It was a good pastime for us. I’m missing it very much. What else is there for us to do in our old age?” he said.
Retired banker Allan Faria who frequented the library too agreed, saying the library was a home away from home for senior citizens.
Besides the large reading hall, the library with more than 6,000 members and 25,000 books in various languages also had a separate reference section and children’s section. Children are now forced to do any reference work at their own school library.
“It is the mission of the Central government to promote education and literacy and encourage the library movement. But in Mapusa, something that was running since 1883 has been closed with no alternate arrangements made. It is a shame that it is the only town in Goa without a library today,” Faria said.
Distressed citizens deprived by the closure of the library shot off letters in December last year to the Mapusa Municipal Council, Mapusa MLA, art and culture minister, directorate of art and culture, directorate of municipal administration, health services and civil supplies and consumer affairs requesting for an urgent decision to make alternate arrangements for shifting of the reading room and library to the old Asilo Hospital which has been renovated and not in use.
Mapusa MLA Joshua D’Souza, when contacted, told TOI that he has already moved a proposal to the health minister for the library and reading room to be temporarily shifted to the ground floor of the old Asilo Hospital building.
“The library had to be shut down because the roof was collapsing and after it was declared unsafe following structural surveys. We couldn’t take a risk. We are waiting for approval from the health minister to use the old Asilo building,” he said.