Library is parliament for reading republic

Authors' role in vitalising a local library


by Anisur Rahman

Library is considered to be storehouse of knowledge. It shows storehouse of bundles of paper made products only, without visitors or readers. It is like parliament for reading republic. An author is an ambassador for this republic.

When an author visits a local library, it indicates the functionality of reading republic that will encourage the reading public in getting involved with fresh outlook through interactions with their ambassadors. Authors are also considered to be unwritten guardians for languages.

Library is a platform for writer, as parliament or respective councils are for politicians. Academics have their spaces in academia as every other careerist does have. Library is considered to be a platform for writers as of readers as well.

Without effective debate there is no meaning of parliament building as of libraries without the visit of authors and readers. Author’s visit to a local library also enriches the cultural scenes at that respective locality. It helps enlighten the social as well as cultural progress in the region concerned. It also dignifies an individual library thus. Authors can play their greater role in vitalising a local library through participating in programmes over discussion, workshop, reading, debate and interaction. A great author is first a great reader. His way of developing reading taste may help one shape the choice in his/her.

In a writer, many a thing remains to be addressed and shared with the readers. On the other hand, the readers have many things to ask to an author. It also increases the number of visitors to the library as that of their visits.

Without students, a school loses its appeal and necessity. Library needs readers. Library is public school avoiding all burden sum exams on its learners, I mean visitor or readers. It is an school for a self educated learner. Library should be considered as university for the mass avoiding all barriers in attaining knowledge. When an author will have his occasion to meet with readers in a library, it helps live the mass university. University education means to achieve knowledge and ideas through debate. A library must have such spirit. This spirit and debate can be energised when an author pays his visit on that purpose.

Library as mass university offers ever knowledge non-miser, unconditional, non-payment. Such a university does not offer certificate but knowledge to cause beauties and truths in life. In this respect, I would like to share with you a strong example from my land Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s great philosopher Aroj Ali Matubbar (1900-1985) was born to a poor farming family. He studied for only a few months at the village maqtab (school for Islam studies). He lost his father in his early age. At his 12, his inherited property of 2 acres of land was auctioned off as the minor boy was unable to pay land tax. The landless boy faced even more critical crisis when a local usurer called him out of his ancestral homestead. Destitute Aroj Ali grew up somehow on the charity of others and by working as a farm labourer. He could not attend in any school due to his poverty.

A kindhearted man helped him finish the Bangla Primers. Persevering as he was, he kept on reading more and more. To satisfy his thirst for knowledge he studied all the Bangla books in Barisal Public Library like a serious student. A teacher of philosophy at the B M College, Kazi Ghulam Quadir, was impressed by his depth of knowledge and understanding, so he helped him borrow books from the college library. This is how his mind was shaped. Now he is internationally recognised philosopher and his texts are taught and studied at different universities.

Library can thus help one in shaping his/her mind. This task can be more beautiful and easier through authors’ visit to a library. The dark and the light prevail in society at the same time. Library always stands for light and gets it spirit up. Through the visit of an author, the mission is beautified and helps the readers cheering up. Author gets inspirations and feedback from the readers thus as well.

Every other platform for gaining knowledge in life does have their time span, notably school-university does have academic year and syllabus. Library is like river. It must have flawless water. Its destination is the vast sea of knowledge. Author’s visit somehow helps gaining the flow speeding as well as cheering up.

In my initial days in Sweden, library was great help and attraction to me. I am grateful for getting cooperation from Fisksätra and International Library. My librarian friend Barbro Bolonassos is a must mention in this regard.

I came to Sweden in summer 2008 on a scholarship offered by the Swedish Writers’ Union. Meanwhile, I had political problem and Bangladesh witnessed militarisation in administration along side strong presence of Islamist militancy in line with the regressive beliefs of Jamaat-Shibir.

Referring that troublesome time in my life, I can remember Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore was insulted by the immigration officials at the California Naval Port in August 1929, on his way to Japan via Canada. A long ago of this incident, Tagore became so famous over the world getting the 1913 Nobel Prize for literature. In spite of that, the immigrant official threw many such questions to Tagore that was disappointing as a Bengali-Indian. After that Tagore met the press conference in San Francisco and expressed his disappointment as saying the immigration officials concerned foolish. He cancelled his scheduled lectures in Chicago, San Francisco and New York.

Mahatma Gandhi too had difficult times in his exile in South Africa. Tagore and Gandhi were worldwide famous by that time. I am not any such important.

When I first time visited Sweden on an invitation from the Swedish Writers’ Union in 2006, immigration-custom officials at Arlanda Airport had long unexpected conversation with me on the excuse of checking my luggage that killed my long hours and I was tired from my way back from Mexico via Paris. I was disappointed. One of them, asked me 'Is Bangladesh a difficult place for a poet? I responded to him as saying, 'I can see not only Bangladesh even your Sweden is difficult so.’

I had very struggle some time in Sweden. I used to work for restaurant, distribute advertising leaflets and to do cleaning work. However, I did never forget as I was a committed writer. I was a regular visitor to library. That difficulties, I faced, helped me to see life different way and I reflected on that of my seeing in my novel ‘Oi Andhakar Ashe’ (The Dark Sounds) and in some poems. I had strong supports from my friends at the Swedish Writers’ Union, Swedish PEN, Solidarity House, Uppsala Kommun, Uppsala University, and entire media as well. In fine, the truth has won.

When an author can avail himself of his platform in libraries, it means in life. Society requires it to be enlightened. When one in Sweden loses every access to life without person number or migration board formalities, some libraries (not all) offer their cooperation without any asking. This is an approach rare in other parts in the world and it should be model for every sound and enlightened society.

Library must not be an outlet for making money or selling services. I am afraid as some libraries have introduced fee to visitors for entry to some author programmes. It does not go with a library’s spirit and goal. It is not a good sign for a welfare state, is it? #


photo caption: Aroj Ali Matubbar (1900-1985)--- a great Bengali humanist philosopher

photo & Aroj Aliu Matubbar’s biographical information courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aroj_Ali_Matubbar.jpg