Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Ready to support or take over British Library: Achuthanandan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan has urged the British Council authorities to go slow on the decision to close down the British Council Library here and stated that the government would not be averse to the option of taking over the library in case it cannot be run as at present or as a joint initiative of the State government and the British Council.

The Chief Minister put forward these proposals during his discussion with Chris Gibson, First Secretary (Cultural Affairs) British Deputy High Commission, Chennai, here on Tuesday. Mr. Achuthanandan also handed over a letter to Mr. Gibson addressed to Rod Pryde, Director, British Council of India, New Delhi, offering all support possible from the State Government’s side to retain the library. At the end of the meeting, Mr. Gibson informed the Chief Minister that a delegation from the British Council would visit Kerala in January to discuss the matter. In the course of their meeting, Mr. Gibson informed Mr. Achuthanandan that the decision to close down the library was part of a policy decision at the highest level.

To begin with, two of the nine British Council libraries in India would be closed down along with several such libraries across the globe. In due course, other libraries would also be closed down. As it was a matter of policy, there was no guarantee that the library can be retained as at present, Mr. Gibson reportedly told the Chief Minister. Mr. Achu thanandan reportedly told Mr. Gibson that, in such an event, the State Government would be willing to take over the books and other facilities at the library and run it in the same way as at present if the British Council could continue to support it with bo oks, journals, e-learning kits, etc.

Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Vijayakumar and Chief Secretary P. J. Thomas were also present at the meeting. In his letter to Mr. Pryde, Mr. Achuthanandan said: “The reported decision of the British Council of India to close down its excellent library in Thiruvananthapuram has come as a shock to the book lovers in Kerala. As the Chief Minister of the State, I request the British Council of India to do everything possible to retain the library in the State’s capital city of Thiruvananthapuram, where it has been functioning for the last 44 years, as a beacon of knowledge and information for generations of readers here.

“I need hardly tell you that the library is also the symbol of Britain’s goodwill for the people in our State and, it has, in its turn, created enormous goodwill for Britain in the minds of the people here. I understand that hundreds of students from our State find opportunities to study in Britain through the Education Service offered by the British Council on the library premises. Further, the library has all through been a virtual cultural centre in Thiruvananthapuram, with the book lovers frequently receiving the rare opportunity to attend literature seminars and interactive sessions with visiting British writers. I am sure you too love the world of books as deeply as the book lovers here, for whom your decision to close down the library is causing so much pain. The decision has come as a bolt from the blue for them.

“I personally visited the library on being told of your decision. The librarian explained to me certain considerations that had figured in prompting you to take the decision. My request to you, as the Chief Minister of the State, is: let us not hurry with the move. Let us discuss how we can retain this excellent institution here. Surely, there will be many things the Government of Kerala can do to help the British Council to keep the library here. Please let us consider what we can do together.”

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