When I experienced petty policing in a library recently, it became clearer to me that the prestigious Asiatic library is comparatively much more democratic, open. Most of Asiatic’s lectures are free, no prior registration needed. The big open space at the entrance belonging to the Central library is open to anyone, any citizen can walk in, browse through newspapers in various languages kept on the stands, as also magazines. And there is a reading room in this section open to all. This is as it should be everywhere, but everywhere now one faces so many restrictions.
To sit in the heritage green sofas in the Asiatic and talk with scholars in the historic building is so comforting. Am a member there for almost fifty years.
An experience in the National library in Bandra this morning, it is over 100 years old, an asset and there are some good people out there. Not cribbing. But it is really annoying when someone tells you, you cannot sit in the library and read, reading is not allowed, one can only borrow books or as the season goes borrow Diwali anks, special Diwali magazines.
So outrageous because long ago S.R. Ranganathan, the founder of the public libraries movement in India laid down a good norm, libraries should be as free as roads, they should be really public, not just open to members. He got the idea during his visit to England in 1924, a hundred years ago, and did everything to spread the movement. One of his first steps was to send a bullock cart full of books to Thanjavur from Chennai.
He was an extraordinary simple, devoted man. A big name in the library movement but most librarians betray his teachings.
Against the spirit of everything he taught, some libraries keep their books under lock and key, denying open accsess. He argued that even if some books are missing, stolen, it would still be worth it because open access in comparison benefits a huge number .
Petty policing is now increasing everywhere. In the municipal Almeida park in Bandra a watchman would not allow a visitor even to stand on grass. I remember people enjoying themselves on the grass in St James park in London and elsewhere, it is the most natural things. In India our petty, ignorant bureacurats and politicians and a section of the upper class look down upon such freedom. The least one expects is a little space on the grass for a little exercise, it is so healthy. One would not blame the watchman, they are receive instructions from ignoramuses.
We cannot even manage our public grounds. Shivaji park in Mumbai continuously makes the news for all the wrong reasons, it throws up so much dust, life is becoming difficult for people in surrounding areas. This can be easily handled with environment friendly soil management but now they will spend crores and deny access to citizens for a long time, seems a favourite pastime of petty officialdom.
Plus some jottings onthe recent Tata literature festival at NCPA in Mumbai.
Atul Parchure used to play the role of a mentally challenged young boy in the Marathi play Nati Goti so effectively that many people anxiously came back stage after the performance to check his well being and hoping he is actually normal. He did not have any dialogue, his body movement and facial expression conveyed feelings.

This was recalled during a well presented centenary tribute to the play’s author Jayawant Dalvi at the Tata theatre in NCPA on November 17. The programme was organised by Granthali, the publishing house,celebrating its golden jubilee next month. conceived by Rajeev Naik, playwright and critic.
There was a moving rendering of a scene from the play by director Shailesh Datar and senior actor Swati Chitnis who played the mother in the original production.
There was also a reading about Dalvi’s another highly acclaimed play Barrister from the autobiography Jhimma of Vijaya Mehta who directed the original production.
And a good discussion among actor Suhas Joshi, Datar, actor Pradeep Velankar, Swati Chitnis and compere Prajakt Deshmukh followed.
It was recalled that Suhas Joshi initially turned down the role in Barrister, she thought it was too small, but it was later to win her much applause. Director Vijaya Mehta called her and told her you are foolish to decline such a role. Such was her authority, no one would feel hurt and the actor accepted. There was a memorable main role of the character Barrister by Vikram Gokhale who passed away some time ago.
Atul Parchure passed away last month after a long battle with cancer, he was very popular.
There was also a good discussion between Jane Ohlmeyer , William Dalrymple, history scholars, in conversation with Mumbai scholar Dinyar Patel. Quite relevant for India because of Jane’s latest book about the relationship between Ireland, imperialism and the modern world. Ireland was the oldest colony of the British and India the largest and there was co relation between their liberation struggles.The spectre of the British empire even now looms large. The harrowing conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine are legacies of empire, just as the Troubles (1968-1998) in Northern Ireland was.
The English rulers inflicted atrocities on the Irish for centuries, that rule was to be its laboratory for British imperialism in other countries. The irony is that a good part of the British atrocities in India were carried out by irish and Scottish employees of British rule. These two regions had suffered much from the British in their own land. It is only recently that the British establishment is acknowledging its negative record of imperialism. The event was also interesting in that for the first time one saw another scholar somewhat overshadowing Dalrymple. He is always a strong presence, it is good to hear him, one envies his relaxed manner .
There was much missing during the discussion, this became clearer to me when I was talking with Dr Bindu Desai, a progressive thinker and neurologist, based in the U.S. She talked of Jawaharlal Nehru’s support to the Irish cause and Krishna Menon’s fiery anti imperialist speeches.
There were also close ties between poet W.B. Yeats and Tagore and so much more.
Reading about Mir Taqi Mir, the famous Urdu poet of the 18th century one finds he and many others suffered at the hands of Abdali, the Afghan invader. the Marathas and Sikhs suffered too.Many Marathi people still cannot reconcile themselves to the disastrous defeat the Marathas suffered at the hands of Abdali in the third battle of Panipat of 1761.
Abdali sacked Punjab and Delhi several times and Mir has mourned in his poetry the loss of life and property in Delhi caused by Abdali, he lived in Delhi and it was very dear to him, he was not happy with later life in Lucknow. In Delhi most of Abdali’s victims were Muslims in large numbers as well as Hindus.. Invaders obviously do not care for religion.
The genocide of the Sikhs at his hands led to the saying in Punjabi language—“Khada Peeta Lahey Da—Baaqi Ahmad Shahey meaning that Eat, drink, & use what you have, rest will be looted by Ahmad Shah, as one source put it.
It seems Abdali remained insensitive to request from Muslims that he should spare them, he saw himself as a Darvesh.
Waliullah, a major Islamic, Sunni scholar of the time, wanted a Jihad to be conducted against Mughal rule as it was dominated by Shias and Hindus were said to have held high positions.
Some of these references would have added another dimension to Mir’s poetry during the discussion at last week’s Tata literature festival where Ranjit Hoskote’s translation of Mir’ poems was discussed.
Vidyadhar Date is a senior journalist and culture critic