Barishal Public Library, one of the oldest public libraries in the Indian subcontinent, still stands as a witness to history despite years of neglect, financial hardship and declining readership.
Established in 1854 during British rule, the library is considered the oldest public library among the four former provinces of East Bengal, West Bengal, Assam and Odisha.
The library was initially set up beside Bibir Pukur in Barishal city and was later shifted to its current premises on Band Road in 1985.
Public libraries emerged in the subcontinent following the passage of the Public Libraries Act in England on 14 August 1850, which triggered a movement for public libraries across British India.
The establishment of public libraries in Bogura, Jashore, Barishal and Rangpur in 1854 was regarded as a landmark development in Bengal’s educational and cultural history.
Located on the road connecting Barishal launch terminal and Sher-e-Bangla Medical College, the two-storey library now sits on 54 decimals of land beside the BIWTA office and Barishal Diabetic Hospital.
The building houses reading rooms, office space and rows of book shelves, while two large halls can accommodate around 100 readers at a time.
Once a vibrant centre of learning with more than 200 daily readers, the library now remains largely deserted.
The institution once had two librarians and five employees in different positions, but currently only one caretaker remains.
The library has around 30,000 valuable books covering history, literature, religion, philosophy, economics, science, law and world affairs.
Most of the books are in Bangla, although collections in English, Urdu, Arabic and Hindi are also preserved there.
According to the public library catalogue, the institution also contains several handwritten manuscripts, including some written on palm leaves and handmade paper, most of them in Sanskrit.
Rare collections once included palm-leaf manuscripts, copies of the Ramayana, writings attributed to poet Kalidas and manuscripts written with reed pens and traditional ink describing Durga Puja rituals.
The library also preserves works by writers including Sri Raghuram Kabiraj, Sri Kashiram Das, Trilochan Das, Ashwini Dutta and Mukundaram Das.
Around 60 per cent of the collection consists of novels, while reference and research books account for nearly 40 per cent.
Many rare books are now at risk of damage due to poor maintenance and a lack of preservation facilities.
Although the district administration oversees the library, it is run through a management committee headed by the deputy commissioner as president.
The committee currently includes Deputy Commissioner Kazi Enayet Hossain Shiblu, Bir Protik Mohiuddin Manik, life member Professor Nazrul Haque Nilu and several representatives from civil society.
Caretaker Shahidul Islam has been looking after the historic institution, with his honorarium provided by the district administration.
Since the mid-nineteenth century, the library has played an important role in the educational and cultural life of Barishal.
Prominent members over the years included Abdul Wahab Khan, Justice Muhammad Ibrahim, former Pakistan home minister Aziz Uddin Ahmad, Khan Bahadur Hashem Ali Khan, philosopher Sardar Fazlul Karim, writer Abdul Gaffar Choudhury, poet Asad Chowdhury, language activist Mohiuddin Ahmed, journalist Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia, AK Fazlul Huq and Ashwini Kumar Dutta.
To become a life member, applicants need a photocopy of their national identity card, one photograph and an admission fee of Tk200, while the monthly membership fee is Tk20.
The library has remained in a stagnant condition since 2004 due to inadequate supervision, financial constraints, the construction of a divisional public library elsewhere, its distance from schools and residential areas, and the absence of new book purchases.
Part of the land behind the library has also been allocated for a multi-storey building for the district administration’s Collectorate School.
Locals hope the new school may eventually increase public access to the library and help revive the institution as a modern digital library.
