Century-old library lost in time

Warangal: If there is an enthusiast still left searching for the century-old library - Sabdanusasana Andhra Bhasha Nilayam, one will never find it. The sorry tale of this treasure house of knowledge, established in 1908, is just the tip of the iceberg that libraries across the nation are facing.

In the times of bare-bone budgets, anticipating support from the government for brick-and-mortar libraries is perhaps exaggeration, but at least protecting heritage centres that once enlightened the lives of people is expected from the rulers.

In Telangana, the first library - Sri Krishna Devaraya Andhra Bhasha Nilayam - was established in Hyderabad in 1901 and the second one – Raja Raja Narendra Bhasha Nilayam - at Hanamkonda in 1904. Close on the heels of these knowledge centres, Mudigonda Sankararadhya established a library on the Battala Bazar Road in Warangal donating hundreds of books.

Those were the days; the libraries were never appreciated by the then Nizam government fearing that libraries play a pivotal role in enlightening and unifying the people in regard with the Indian Independence Movement. The government used to keep a suspicious eye on the library movement fearing a revolt from the people.
A few years after Independence, the library building disappeared in the street-widening by the civic body. With no shelter and finances to meet the needs, the library remained closed for some time.

Later, the library was taken over by the Warangal District Library in 1960 and housed it in a small building in Yellam Bazar. However, the library is fortunate to be revived; for reasons unknown it lost its name - Sabdanusasana Andhra Bhasha Nilayam and is called as Grade-II branch.

At a time when relevance of libraries is in doubt in an age of eBooks, Google, and smartphones, the library has over 4,000 members even today. The palm-leaf manuscripts collected by the eminent writer Dupati Venkata Ramanacharyulu are some of the pride possessions of the library.

Eminent writer and editor of Shobha and Golconda magazines Devulapalli Ramanuja Rao served as the secretary of this library between 1943 and 47. The library was also the distribution centre for ‘Tenugu’ patrika published by Voddiraju brothers - Sita Ramachandra Rao and Raghava Ranga Rao.

“The library has around 38,000 books, an amalgam of past, recent past and latest,” librarian K Linga Reddy said, stating that library didn’t get new books for the last two years. Retired Professor of Kakatiya University Kovela Suprasannacharya, who used to visit the library in 1948 during his student days in AV High School, told The Hans India: “The greatness of the library was such that even some research scholars from Hyderabad used to come to get access to some rare books, especially of Padya Natakam.”

Sahitya Akademi award winner and novelist Ampasayya Naveen, who used to frequent to the library, said: “The library is still fresh in my mind and those were the days that I got connected with the literature. The library needs to be reinvented and recognised as part of Warangal heritage to bring back the splendour of yesteryears.” Although this newspaper tried its best, unfortunately no photograph of the grand old library is available.