From rare books in bank vaults to accounts of Bombay's scandalous women and tiger tales from Malabar Hill, the city's nine libraries are home to an envious collection of rare titles
From rare books in bank vaults to accounts of Bombay's scandalous women and tiger tales from Malabar Hill, the city's nine libraries are home to an envious collection of rare titles
The recent decision by the state government to revive 11 Marathi language libraries, pumped with a substantial fund increase, has infused fresh life to the city's literary lifelines. Braving dust mites, never-ending lunch breaks and grudging library staff, Sunday MiD DAY combed the city's libraries to discover several unknown treasures housed in nine of its libraries, all accessible to Mumbai's public.u00a0
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Dante's Divine Comedy, the original 14th century manuscript in Italian from Asiatic's collection, lies in a safe deposit vault |
For Mumbaiphiles
The Asiatic Society Library within the Town Hall was Mumbai's first library, and remains a telling reminder of the city's glory days. Walking into what was once the Grand Assembly Hall that hosted public meetings and balls, today's Public Reading Hall transports one to a different world altogether. Credit must go to James Mackintosh who founded the library in 1804 "for the investigation and encouragement of Oriental arts and sciences". It is home to over 2,000 Oriental manuscripts, a galaxy of rare editions, over 1,00,000 volumes on literature, art and social sciences, over 1,300 maps and several editions of early Bombay newspapers and journals. Its microfilming laboratory, inaugurated in 1995, is a reservoir for rare finds that need extra TLC. Drop by; it's like going on a free heritage walk through Mumbai.
Where: Town Hall, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg, Fort. Call: 2660956
Timing: Mon-Sat (10 am-5 pm)
Membership: 1,000 (Annual);
Rs 15,000 (Life); Rs 50 (Daily); Annual and Life memberships need endorsments by members.
Best for: Rare coins from Akbar's era (1564), Sopara relics (8-9 AD).
For scandals
One Mumbai scandal that you must know about is the story of Eliza Draper who married Daniel Draper, assistant marine master of the East India Company. Her claim to fame was her correspondence from novelist Lawrence Sterne, an admirer; until she did something far more scandalous. The lady, described as a "drooping lily', the cynosure of all at social dos, eloped with a little-known navy man, Sir John Clerk. Wikipedia is not as much fun.
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Inside the Bombay City Corner section |
The FE Dinshaw Commercial and Financial Reference Library, set up by the Indian Merchants' Chamber in 1967,u00a0 subscribes to over 200 committee reports, 200 trade directories, 400 periodicals and 30 newspapers. The real find is their book collection in the Bombay City Corner. At 500, the numbers might seem meagre, yet it tosses up a few gems. Take, for example, PB Vachha's Famous Judges, Lawyers and Cases of Bombay that highlights landmark judgments and scandals, from the 1910 Nasik Conspiracy case to Lokmanya Tilak's trials.
Where: 3rd Floor, Resham Bhavan, 78, Veer Nariman Road, Churchgate.
Timing: Mon-Fri (10 am to 5.45 pm) except first and fourth Saturdays (10 am to 1.45 pm)
Membership: Rs 60 (Daily); Rs 600 (Annual).
Best for: Information on business, finance, commerce, Indian economy, international trade CMIE reports, Five-Year Plans, surveys etc. For fact checkersThe CED (Centre for Education and Documentation) is a theme park for those hunting for facts and stats on the city. Behind Regal Cinema, in a building with an entrance that's easy to miss is the tiny reading room and reference library which is a hub of sorts for citizen activists and scribes set up in 1978 by activist John D'Souza.
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The Microfilm Department at Asiatic Library ensures the longevity of rare and old books |
"In those days, if you wanted any information as a layperson on social issues related to, say, gender or environment, you'd have to go to a library that was beyond the reach of normal people. Even if you found books, they would be too academic to give a proper picture. So, we started maintaining newspaper clippings for a chronological arrangement of every development on an issue," explains documentalist Maya Kudtarkar. The library has 8,000 books and is working towards digitising its contents. With extensive clipping files on every issue, it's a haunt for PhD scholars, activists and journalists.
Where: 3 Sulaiman Chambers, 4, Battery Street, Behind Regal Cinema, Colaba.
Timing: Tue-Sat, 10 am to 7pm
Membership: Rs 45 (Daily, students);
Rs 75 (Daily, professionals); Rs 450 (Annual, students); Rs 750 (Annual, professionals).
Best for: Socially relevant issues, media-savvy information. From sanitation work in tsunami-hit regions to climate change, you can get all the dope here.For Heritage 360For an all-round heritage experience, the Mumbai University Library is probably the only city library, besides the Asiatic, that's entwined with the city's growth and character. Built in 1880, it was designed by Sir Gilbert Scott in the Venetian-Gothic style. The breathtaking stained glass interiors, sky touching roof and aesthetic vibe, coupled with the Rajabai Tower for imposing company, add to its aura. Along with its Kalina campus, the library boasts of 8,71,000 titles, 181 palm leaf manuscripts including treasures that have undergone preservation techniques to increase longevity, with the ambitious Preservation Program. "At least 100 staff members preserve and maintain these treasures. Recently, TCS funded for the preservation of 300 books that cost Rs 25 lakh," says Anjali Kale, assistant librarian. These priceless gems will now be open for public consumption -- "We felt the Post Graduate section isn't being utilised fully and hence have decided to throw open this glorious legacy to all," says Vijaya Rajhans, chief librarian.
Where: University Campus, Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil Marg, Fort Call: 22673621; Vidyanagari, Kalina Campus, Santacruz (E), Call: 26526679
Timing: Mon-Fri (10 am-7 pm)
Membership: Rs 500 (per term; to be endorsed by a member of the teaching faculty); contact librarian for daily, weekly, monthly memberships
Best for: Mumbai's biggest book (3 ftx2.5 ft) Results of a Scientific Mission to India and High Asia; palm leaf and handwritten manuscripts; The French Traveller (c: 1490), apparently one of the city's oldest books; writing instruments of Marathi poet Moropant. For nature loversClearly, the Indian subcontinent's largest NGO can easily stake claim to also housing one of the biggest collections on wildlife and environment from across the world. Founded in 1883, the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) stocks over 22,000 books and scientific journals. Look around and there's enough to pique your green side, from books on plant injuries to big cat territories in the Subcontinent and bird havens across India. The library also houses a photo-library and stores collections of 30,000 birds, 20,000 mammals, 10,000 reptiles and amphibians and 50,000 insects, including extinct species. Interestingly, BNHS members collected tons of information on wildlife in India and its neighbours during the British Raj. Some of its best research work dating back to the 1800s gives the common man a fascinating insight into the flora and fauna of the Indian subcontinent. This has been converted into coffee table books, available on sale at BNHS as well as its website (
https://www.bnhs.org/).
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A book on one of the big cats at BNHS Library |
Where: Hornbill House, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Marg. Call: 22821811
Timing: Mon-Fri (9.30 am to 5.30 pm)
Membership: Rs 650 (deposit); Rs 500 (daily); BNHS membership (annual Rs 550/ life Rs 10,000) provides unlimited access to the library as well
Best for: The Book of Indian Animals, The Book of Indian Reptiles and Amphibians:
Rs 595 (Rs 445), National Parks and Sanctuaries in Maharashtra (Volume I and II), Living Jewels from the Indian Jungle, Natural History and the Indian Army, Latin Names of Indian Birds: Explained, Bharat ke Pakshi
For draughtsmen The David Sassoon Library and Reading Room was the first building to come up at Fort area when the old fort was demolished. It was originally called Sassoon Mechanic's Institute. Then, it housed a library and a museum of mechanical models and architecture. But grants from the Imperial Government dried up and the institute became David Sassoon Library and Reading Room. The library now houses over 40,000 books and many of them rare books on architecture. The entire building has been renovated and the Burma teak ceiling has got back its characteristic sheen. Cupboards have been mounted on the walls to make way for more tables in the reading room. The tables boast of individual lights and mobile chargers. But modernisation doesn't take away from the old school charm of the library. Grab an armchair seat the at the balcony that overlooks the Jehangir Art Gallery or take a walk around the stone pathway in the garden for some well needed peace and quiet.
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Readers at the David Sassoon library enjoy the sunshine in the courtyard |
Where: 52, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kalaghoda, Fort
Timing: Open 365 days (8 am to 9 pm)
Membership: Rs 1,200 (Annual); Rs 10,000 (Life); Rs 15,000 (Patron). Membership is open to Mumbai and Thane residents only.
Best for: The library's oldest book is a 1798 publication of correspondence between Henry St John, Viscount of Bolingbroke and Queen Anne when he was secretary of state to the Queen.u00a0
Zoroastrian hub
Housed inside the KR Cama Institute building, the KR Cama Oriental Institute Library turned out to be a delightful find not just for discovering the Persian way of life but also their contribution to Mumbai and the city's social history. Looking around its functional interiors, it's difficult to imagine how it houses 25,000 books and 500 bound volumes of scholastic journals. Built in memory of Parsi philanthropist, scholar and painter Khurshedji Rustomji Cama, the Institute, reading room, library and oriental institute was opened to the public by H.E. Lord Willingdon (Governor of Bombay) on December 18, 1916, thanks to a Rs 1,00,00 donation by Hindu merchant Damodardas Gordhandas Sukhadwala. There was a strong need at the time to establish a suitable collection of oriental literature and provide scholarships for oriental research. The present building opposite Lion Gate, was founded in 1936, on KR Cama's 106th birth anniversary. The library has been endowed with collections from illustrious Parsi families across India. While the library is a fascinating trail into understanding this tiny yet dynamic community's all-round contribution, it also encourages their cause by conducting annual essay competitions and providing scholarships for Zoroastrians.u00a0
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A silver casket donated by an illustrous Parsi family |
Where: 136, Bombay Samachar Marg, opposite Lion Gate, Kala Ghoda.
Call: 22843893
Timing: Mon-Fri (10 am to 6 pm), Sat (10 am-1 pm)
Membership: Rs 200 (annual); Rs 50 (daily); annual memberships must be seconded by a member known to the Trustee or Joint Secretaries
Best for: Ancient Avesta, Pahlavi and Persian literature, studies like Architecture as Social History of Bombay/Mumbai and The Contribution made by the Parsis to the Development of Different Aspects of Education in the 19th and 20th century in West India.
Curl up hereWhat can you say about a 154 year-old library with a collection of 1,50,000 books? Or of a library that claims to be the largest reading room in Asia? It started humbly as 12 students of Elphinstone College set up a reading room with a monthly membership of four annas. Among the trustees was Jamshetji Nusserwanjee, heir to the then profitable Petit Mills who was christenedu00a0 'Petit' by his French friends as they found his real name a mouthful. He passed away at the young age of 33 and his family donated Rs 25,000 and Rs 10,000 to the Trust in memory of their son. But membership grew and a large space was needed. In 1895, a plot belonging to Jamshetji Tata was bought for Rs 240. Till 1938, the reading room was dominated by a vaulted ground glass ceiling so that members could read by natural light. But in 1938 membership crossed 700 and the second floor reading room was built. Large arched windows and beautiful stained glass portraits of the Petit family on the windows offer a sense of space and light unheard of in the city. There are armchairs and if a regular member (who have first dibs) hasn't snapped it for their afternoon snooze, you could curl up with your favourite storybook.
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A board showing the Members Only table |
Where: J N Petit Reading Room & Library, 312, Dr. Dadabhoy Naoroji Road, next to Thomas Cook building, Fort
Timing: Open 365 days (7 am to 8pm)
Membership: Rs 180 (3 months), Rs 720 (Annual), Rs 50 (Daily).
Best for: A centuries-old Shahnameh that weighs over 40 kgs, costs Rs 1,40,000 and took three months to conserve.
Sweet notesMusic can't get bigger than this. With 22,000 books, 5,000 LPs, 1,500 cassettes and 500 CDs it's difficult to escape this curtain call at the NM Wadia Library of Musicu00a0 (school block) at NCPA. The place is a study in contrasts. The funky purple carpet with the serious tomes on dance and drama, books on Western mythology to early twentieth century handbills of Marathi plays. The NCPA library came into existence at Bhulabhai Desai Road in 1969 when its Nariman Point site was still being developed. It moved to its present location in the early 70s. The library spans diverse subjects related to performing arts from classical music to ethnomusicology, sacred music, religion, biographies, Indian history and historical geography. NCPA is known for housing the personal collections of famous personalities. But the real find is JRD Tata's personal record collection in the adjoining Listening Room. Revel in the mood as Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake exchanges notes with Nat King Cole, Brahms and Barbara Streisand.
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Clippings from old Marathi plays and films at the NCPA library |
Where: National Centre for the Performing Arts, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point.
Timing: Monday to Friday 10 am to 6 pm.
Membership: Rs 100 (Annual); Rs 20 (Daily)
Best for: For books and music collections on the performing arts across music, dance and theatre.
Why Asiatic's books are locked in a bank vaultA huge chunk of the treasures of the Asiatic Society Library are actually tucked away for safekeeping in one of the vaults of the State Bank of India, far away from the public glare. The treasures in the vaults include Dante's Divine Comedy (original 14th century manuscript in Italian) and Aranyakaparan of the Mahabharata (16th century).
When tigers roamed Mumbai Living Jewels from the Indian Jungles has a few delightful facts about Mumbai's jungles (not the concrete type). There was a time when Bengal tigers were spotted coming down from Malabar Hill to drink water at Gowalia Tank!
