Librarian Vijay Waghmare's phone rings loudly at the Dr HD Kanga
library located at Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) ground floor at the old
office premises, shattering the routine silence of the place. The young man
doesn't hesitate to take the call, and spends the next few minutes winding up
his conversation loudly. Working as a librarian, one could have expected
Waghmare urging the library environment to be on silent mode but such has been
the apathy towards MCA's five-decade-old library that visitors rarely turn up,
much like the sparse crowds for Ranji Trophy matches these days at Wankhede Stadium.
The richly stocked library which was introduced in 1946 to impart
the best knowledge to cricketers and general public is now hoping for the
younger breed of players to check in. There are many books which are unread for
so many months and it doesn't take too long for Waghmare, who is also an
umpire, to start goading you to join the library, since barely anyone turns up.
The library is looked after by MCA, who appoints a committee to look after its
old heritage and ensure the work runs smoothly.
Soli Irani, who has worked in the MCA library for more than 40
years and has retired now, says, people walking in sometimes can be a pleasant
surprise here. Cricketers,
who pass by daily don't even know what is next door and the young breed has
locked themselves in the world of internet and mobiles.
“No one comes here, look at the books here, these are priceless
books,” he shows pointing at Wisden Cricket books which have been there since its first edition in the 19th
century. “If you are passionate about cricket then this is the place to be in,” he adds.
Irani is in his mid-60s and the old Parsi man remembers the days
when many Mumbai cricketers would turn up for reading. The library has more
than 1300 members till date, out of which maximum are old, and many members
have passed away. Irani comes here often to ensure the place he devoted his
time to for so long is running well. He explains that new members turn up
occasionally and the registration of new members is at a very slow pace.
Never marketed well
Prof Ratnakar Shetty, MCA vice-president and BCCI chief
administrative officer, feels the library was never marketed well despite
hosting the best quality of books. “This is the best library in India, but
sadly many don’t know. There are old books which you will find nowhere other
than here. I think we should have marketed it well, many people don't know
there is a library here!” Shetty said.
The last big celebrity cricketer the library witnessed walk in was Sunil
Gavaskar - he was a regular to turn up to pick books. The young blood is
not familiar with reading within closed walls, and will prefer to walk to the
adjacent Marine Drive than coming to Wankhede. In the last decade, coffee shops
have replaced libraries as the preferred reading place for most.
“Gavaskar used to come and take books often, he was the last
cricketer this library would have seen. With new technology and internet coming
in, one can download books sitting at home. Library is a thing of the past
now,” Irani pointed out, who once was a managing committee member in MCA. The
library timings are odd - it works from 5pm to 8pm - and Shetty feels it
doesn't suit many to come and read in the evening. Having been a professor
himself of South Mumbai's well known college Wilson, Shetty knows what
libraries bring to people. He said, “One more reason is the timing of the
library which is such that you may not find many people using it. People prefer
to go to the library in the morning or afternoon more. In the evening many want
to take rest at home or meet people.”
With Wankhede Stadium going in for a massive revamp, the old
library will soon get a new lease of life. MCA will plan to allow school and
colleges once the new building is constructed next to Garware Cub, Shetty feels
proper planning will certainly see more members turning up.
“We can give advts, let school and college students come up to use
the library. We will surely think to revamp once we have the new building in
place. The most important thing will be creating awareness” the veteran
administrator said.
Meanwhile. Waghmare wishes to see more people turning up, and
sometimes it is plainly a pain to sit idle. His phone rings again and the
librarian picks it up yakking loudly. Like most other days in his office
Waghmare is waiting for the clock to reach eight o’clock.
Source | http://www.expressindia.com/
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