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The survivors
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Even as the gentle art of reading is giving way to cable TV and computer games, there are a few circulating libraries that keep their word, so to speak
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WHY ISN'T anyone reading anymore? Where have all the libraries gone? Looks like readers are an endangered species and the few who have been bitten by the reading bug find refuge in the city's remaining circulating libraries.
Mangalore houses only four to five private libraries today. The city, the capital of Karnataka's most literate district, is seeing a decline in its reading culture, librarians insist.
With its vast student population and a growing floating population, Mangalore has seen very few libraries sticking it out: usually they all close in less than a year of their opening.
"I can certainly say that the reading habit has seen a decline in the last decade or so. There are very few who read for the love of reading and not just to pass time," says Lawrence Mascarenhas, owner of Popular, one of Mangalore's oldest libraries. Started way back in 1970, the library was opened with the objective of catering to booklovers who found it difficult keeping up with their passion due to the rising prices. "The concept of a circulating library was relatively new then. There were a few `society libraries', but they were not run in a commercial manner," he says.
Location plays a pivotal role in the success of a library, asserts Mr. Mascarenhas. First set up at Niwas Building, opposite the Government College, the library started off in a 300-sq. ft. room. In 1993, it moved to the heart of the city, Hampankatta.
Thirty-four years in the business, which requires constant interaction with customers, has paid off rather well for Mascarenhas. "It feels wonderful when people drop in just to meet me and tell me that they used to come here as children. It is impossible to remember them all but the feeling is only mutual."
The library stocks some books that have been there since it was started. Books that are old and have rough, yellowing pages are any booklover's dream. But sometimes, booklovers themselves turn out to be a librarian's worst nightmare. "Sub-lending by members is the biggest problem I face in running a library," he says, a common grouse shared by most librarians. A member borrows a book from the library and then lends it to his/her friends and family members who in turn, might lend it to their friends. By the time the book is returned to the library, it is way beyond the due date and mostly in a bad condition, he adds ruefully.
Situated on the first floor of Parameshwar Building in Balmatta is Standard Library, another place book lovers would love to visit. Launched in 1982, the owner Victor Alwares, a book lover himself, started it as a source of income also. A newcomer would think the place specialises in children's books, given their assortment here. Be it the latest series of Harry Potter or the eternal favourite Enid Blyton or even colourful books for toddlers, it is nothing less than a treat for young ones.
The library is well stocked, with over 6,000 books in English alone and another 1,000 in Kannada and Konkani.
Mr. Alwares too admits to a decline in the reading culture among Mangaloreans, more so in children. "These days, there are so many other distractions like television, the Internet or even summer camps. Children simply do not have the patience to sit and enjoy a book."
Accolades, one of the most recent libraries to crop up in the city, and among the very few to still run successfully, has an edge because of its location, the Saibeen Complex. Run by Sowmya Adappa, it was set up three years ago mainly because of the Adappa couple's love for books. "We do have a fairly good number of customers coming to us. In the last three years, we have seen an increase in the number of customers mainly because the city is growing," says Ms. Adappa. Accolades will probably be the first library in the city that will computerised in a year or so. "It will make it easier for the customer to find the book s/he is looking for in the library." For a three-year-old library, the Adappas have a fairly good collection. They replenish their stock every two to three months. Along with a good stock of English language books, the library also houses Kannada novels and magazines.
A familiar trend noticed by most librarians is the high demand for romance fiction, the Mills and Boon and Barbara Cartland genre. "I guess grandmothers and mothers are catching up now that their children have grown up," quips Mr. Mascarenhas.
ANJU NARAYANAN
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