Heritage library seeks Centre's patronage

LUCKNOW: More than 100 years after Amir-ud-Daula Saeed-ul-Mulk -- after whom the prestigious Amir-ud-Daulah library is named -- died, his great-grandson Mohammad Amir Mohammad Khan Aka Raja Mahmudabad is all set to raise a storm. He wants the historical storehouse of rare manuscripts to be handed over to the Centre. The library is presently being managed by the state government.
The resolution to this effect has already been passed by the general assembly of Anjuman-e-Hind (Awadh), the prime body which conceptualised the prized library way back in 1904."The contribution of my forefathers in establishment of this library has been forgotten completely,'' rues the 60-something protege of Mahmudabad royalty, who now plans to approach prime minister Manmohan Singh to get the library the status of a National Copyright Library. If his plans actualise, the library, which at present lies in a shambles could have at least one copy of any book published anywhere in India. There is no Copyright library in Northern India.
"It is an extraordinary library which though has been subjected to complete neglect,'' says the Raja, who presently holds the post of vice-president in the Anjuman, the association comprising members from erstwhile Taluqdars of Awadh.
To add to his concerns, even the books in which the actual history of the library has been written too have gone missing. Just one volume of the three books titled Tareekh-e-Anjuman-e-Hind-Avadh, exists. "And that is with me, claims Raja Mahmudabad, who accuses the state government, which has not spared enough time to revive the glory of the library, founded in the name of his great-grandfather.
"Or perhaps they do not have enough money to save this prized institution from a possible collapse one day,'' he says grimly.
The presence of Mahmudabads behind the structure gets somewhat larger when one reads those 13 pages (150-163) of the third volume of Tareekh-e-Anjuman-e-Hind-Avadh, written by Khan Bahadur Sheikh Siddique Ahmad Sahib, who was the assistant secretary of the Anjuman. The volumes, written in Urdu, claim that the Anjuman while establishing the library in 1904 announced a grant of Rs 67,500. "The contribution of Anjuman was big. But that of one of my forefathers was no less, he says,'' claiming that the Mehmudabads donated Rs 50,000 as cash and Rs 30,000 for the library books.
Coming on to the ownership of library, he said that the Anjuman had then decided giving the library to the government on some conditions. That included the agreement that books in public library would form part of Amir-ud-Daulah Library. "This means that there happened to be a separate public library whose books would have been handed over to the Amir-ud-Daulah Library which was still coming up. But see what they have done and projected. It is like Amir-ud-Daulah Library has come in place of a public library which stood somewhere. This is wrong,'' he laments.
The library for that matter once had a huge building on rear side. It is believed that the structure happened to house a club and offices of the Anjuman. "The building, however collapsed one unfortunate day. Ever since there has been no initiative to restore it,'' the Raja concludes.