After years of a reading drought, the iconic Amir-Ud-Daulah library is regaining its glory with readers filling its halls. Located in the heart of Qaiserbagh, the 101-year-old Amir-ud-Daula Library, established in 1868, is witnessing a new generation of Lucknow readers walking into its lawns every Sunday morning, for a two-hour weekly silent reading session. Bookmark, A Reader’s Circle initiative began on August 12, observed as the National Librarian’s Day, commemorating the birth anniversary of SR Ranganathan, regarded as the father of library science in India. Set against the library’s old heritage facade, the session brings readers together with books, newspapers, comics and magazines and a strict no-phones policy in tow. The quaint cafe within the library making the experience more in tune with how the younger generation wants to engage with spaces, quiet but meaningful.The initiative aims to revive the habit of screen-free reading sessions and bring people back to the lost art of reading in libraries, explains Supriya Sharma, librarian at Amir-ud-Daula Library, “We wanted to bring the younger lot to the libraries and increase the reading culture in the city. It’s a free-entry session, where there is no prescribed book or theme. Readers can bring what they want, whether it is a book, newspaper or magazine. Those without reading material can pick something from the library’s collection and the cafe’s collection too. The only rule is that it must be physical reading, where one can sit with a book, read and ponder about it, challenging their imagination, which is going through a redundancy in the digital age,” she says.
Actress Shweta Tripathi visited the library on an earlier visit to the city and was awed at the huge and rare collection it holds (BCCL/ @amiruddaulapublic)
We have made a rule that phones are not allowed to be taken out. They can keep them with them, but they have to turn them off and keep them in their pocket or bag during the session– Supriya Sharma, librarian at Amir-ud-Daula LibraryThe screen-free format is central to the session at the library. “We have made a rule that phones are not allowed to be taken out. They can keep them with them, but they have to turn them off and keep them in their pocket or bag during the session,” Sharma says. The initiative welcomes everyone, from children and youth to senior citizens. “It caters to everyone, from children to youth to senior citizens. Any age group member can come and sit here and study,” she says.Beyond the reading sessions, the initiative also brings readers closer to one of the library’s most valuable resources, its literary collection on Awadh. “Our library has an unmatched collection of Awadh history. Whenever someone wants to study or research Awadh history, we are the single spot where you will get substantial and innumerable records of details and history. This is also a way to introduce youngsters to the colossal historical archive that their city has,” Sharma says. The response has also prompted readers to ask for more with some requesting an evening session which the library has taken into consideration and planning to introduce one in the coming months.-Amina Ashraf
