The great libraries of the ancient world served as archives for empires, sanctuaries for sacred writings, and depositories of literature and chronicles. As a library, the Consulate General of India (CGI) Library, which has a collection of 5,250 books, serves as a noble purpose, and has taken an initiative to improve the facilities provided to its members, to increase the number of members who use the library and also to provide a facelift to the existing setup. These were revealed at a function at the consulate premises on July 25 which was attended by Ambassador Talmiz Ahmed, Consul General Sayeed Ahmed Baba, Consul (Community Welfare) S.D. Moorthy, principals, teachers and children from several schools. Ambassador Ahmed inaugurated the renovated library and also honored a popular Indian artist, Firoz, who has painted the portraits of some prominent Indian leaders, which were on display in the library. The ambassador said that the Indian mission in Jeddah is one of the oldest diplomatic missions that came into existence as soon as India became independent. “It is the first few missions to come in and has been consistently involved with community-related matters,” he said. He explained that the community has expanded in numbers so the welfare has also become important. The size of the student community has also increased reaching nearly 12,000. “Taking care of the young people of the community is also a major factor in terms of our diplomatic representation. We have to constantly update ourselves to see that we meet the needs of the community in different ways to ensure that they are able to truly feel that this mission cares for them and provides facilities for their happiness and comfort. The inauguration of the library is part of this effort,” he remarked. “This is a very impressive upgradation. It will be of benefit not only to people who are general readers but also who want to do research on specific subjects. It has a very good collection of books and it will be our endeavor to constantly upgrade it. I am very happy to see that many of the books are new and they are available to the people who might otherwise have heard of them but would not have access to them,” he said. The future of libraries Consul General Baba said that in this Facebook age, libraries are facing a difficult and painful phase. The younger generation is deprived of and missing something that older generations had and cherished. He said it was important to spread this message, improve the library, and encourage the reading habits of the younger generation. “For the benefit of the reading public we are willing to keep the library open even on Thursdays and Fridays; and keep it open beyond 5:00 P.M. even to 8:00 P.M.” he said. “We need volunteers who can help us here.” The consul general said that for the students it has also been decided to waive the refundable SR100 membership deposit. “And for adults also who want to come and not pay the deposit please tell us so. We don't mind waiving it for them as well. We want people to come here, use the library. Moreover, if they find (that) books of their interest are not available here, they can give us a list and we will somehow get the books for their reading pleasure,” he added. He said the consulate would encourage the members to form a Readers Club. Just read Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel, an American writer and cartoonist, once said: “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn the more places you'll go.” Books are an elixir for a bad mood, useful in completing school assignments and a loyal companion by the bedside. Books enrich our lives and help us become the people that we are. Reading is not just a hobby or a pass time, but it is also an educational activity that brings to the reader a vast reservoir of knowledge. It increases the drive for knowledge and inspires people to gain more information. A library is a treasure of valuable books for the people to use and gain from it. Libraries are a source of entertainment and education for youngsters as well as adults. A library not only helps to inculcate the habit of reading but inculcates a thirst for knowledge, which makes a person humble and open to new ideas. Libraries are essential institutions in a democratic society because they play a non-partisan role in providing the information that allows citizens to make informed decisions. They are essential to the educational process because they support curricula, teach information literacy, and foster critical thinking skills. Libraries are also essential partners in creating educated communities because they provide opportunities for self-education, life-long learning, and self-improvement. In 2005 Money magazine ran an article titled: “Disaster strikes. Now what? After the worst, eight ways to get back on your feet financially.” “Get to the library” was number 7 on the list. Enriching lives The CGI library has enriched lives, and proved to be a “savior” in pursuit of a research project. Dr. Chaman Rahim Asad, who teaches geography at Dar Al-Hekma College, told Saudi Gazette: “Way back it was a very small library, which I used to visit as I was doing research on India, and it proved to be very helpful.” The mission used to be in Baghdadiya area at that time about 30 years ago. “It is wonderful to see so many books. It is a brilliant revival. It is a nice surprise to see such a nice change,” she added. Moorthy, who has been here for the last one year, said the number of books has gone up from 3,000 to more than 5,000 – mainly English and Hindi. The Indian periodicals – Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu, English and Hindi - are being bought locally. He said that earlier Indian newspapers were received through diplomatic mail, but are now bought locally. “The same number has been maintained,” he added. Nearly 500 books have been ordered about Indian culture, freedom movement, science and technology and IT and the library has nearly 200 regular members. “We are requesting school authorities to encourage students to use CGI library facilities. We are thinking of sending the books to the school – 200, 300 – let them read and return later. We will keep the library open even after office hours if we get response. We want community support to use the library effectively,” he stressed. He said that special arrangements can be made for the summer vacation if there are requests from the community. According to him the database of all the books available in the library is to be uploaded on the consulate website, and members can reserve books in advance by sending an email to the librarian at [email protected]
