Ludhiana: An oasis of Punjabi culture that languishes due to lack of funds

LUDHIANA: The library of Punjabi Sahit Academy, which currently has 60,614 books including manuscripts, rare books, journals, and theses, has come a long way since the 1980s when it only had 6,000 books. Later, to facilitate easy access, it shifted its research books to a new wing called Sahir Ludhianvi Library.
HAVEN FOR LANGUAGE RESEARCHERS
It is run by the Academy, which is almost 60 years old and is a highly acclaimed association of Punjabi writers with members from North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. The body works on the promotion of Punjabi literature, and book reading culture, and deals with challenges facing the Punjabi language. The library is an ideal place for PhD and MPhil researchers of Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu as it has many books to refer to. In a month, the library sees seven to eight researchers looking for reading material.
Sahir Ludhianvi
Library
An employee said the library is open after demands by scholars. A former president of the Academy, Gurbhajan Singh Gill said, “Sahir Ludhianvi Library is a reference library for research purposes of the students who are pursuing MPhil, PhD in Punjabi.”
Ramandeep Kaur, (35) a research scholar from Patiala University, said, “I am visiting this place for a week now and this is a really good place to get books of Punjabi literature, especially rare books and theses of different universities. It saves a lot of time for the researcher.”
Infrastructure needs upgrading
According to library users, it lacks even basic amenities — it has no air-conditioners and the two desert coolers are not working. Even seating capacity is reduced to 10 chairs and the three tables have wobbly legs. Ramandeep Kaur added, “More chairs and tables should be made available for readers. Washrooms need to be in good condition and coolers should be installed. It seems that this library requires funding from the government. It is a storehouse of knowledge and helps in the promotion of our language so it should not be ignored.”
Stock Books from All Genres
Sandeep Singh, who had visited the library, said, “For a week now, I am coming here. From what I could see, the library needs to be maintained — the books are kept on open shelves, they should be kept in closed almirahs — and authorities should diversify the range of books available here and add more books.”