Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
At home with books
|
Many in the city have impressive home libraries. Even the rising cost of books does not deter them from adding to their collections.
|
Prof. George Onakkoor has an impressive collection of epics and their translation
Jan Morris once said, "Book lovers will understand me, and they will know too that part of the pleasure of a library lies in its very existence."
Many in the city have their very own libraries, replete with works on the diverse genres of the written word. The former Union Minister, S. Krishna Kumar, is one such. "I had developed a flair for reading quite early in life. My father, a voracious reader, would take me to libraries. In college, I would spend spare cash on books," he reminisces.
The culmination of this fascination for books has been his libraries, one of which is at his Delhi residence.
Krishna Kumar's library has books on various subjects, including collections in English, Malayalam and Hindi Literature. A vast section of the library is devoted to the erstwhile Soviet Union, including its Constitution. The Theological section has the Upanishads, Guru Granth Sahib, Gita, Bible and the Quran, among others. Famous works on American civilisation, and the great nations of the world constitute the History section. A lover of Biographies would not be disappointed either.
Classical works include those by Dante, Homer, Chaucer, Milton, Aristotle and William Shakespeare. The assorted works of Swami Vivekananda also adorn the library. Books on science range from Darwin's `Origin of Species and Descent of Man' to the works of the New Age guru, Stephen Hawking. Books on spirituality such as `Soul Search' by Williston and Johnston enhance the collection.
Eminent author and media person Rosscotte Krishna Pillai has an impressive personal library. Author of `The Children's Illustrated Science Dictionary', the first of its kind in India, Krishna Pillai's library includes an array of books authored by him. Among them is `Voyage To The Moon' - An Epic Of Man In Space', which has an introduction by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi.
"I remember the good old days when books cost less than a rupee. Nowadays, the price of books has skyrocketed to such a level that it has become impossible to dream of a personal library."
Pillai's collection includes all volumes of the Encyclopaedia Britannica and the Malayalam Lexicon. There is also a collection of the Bhagavad Gita, including the translation by B. G. Tilak on the `Gita Rahasya', and English and Malayalam versions of the Vedas. Works of almost all the Malayalam poets enjoy a place in the collection.
Biographies and autobiographies include works on Gandhi, Lenin, Ambedkar, Gorky and Churchill. Works of Osho, Aurobindo, Vivekananda, Marx and Sophocles stand tall in the philosophy section. An ardent admirer of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Krishna Pillai has a wide collection of his works, including the `Gospel of Paramahamsa', authored by Ramakrishna's disciple, M. Sarkar. The library also sports sections dealing with works on dance forms such as Kathakali and Mohiniyattom, Carnatic music, folk arts and the temples of Travancore.
Krishna Pillai, being the grandson of the Malayalam writer, the late C. V. Raman Pillai, has retained all of his grandfather's works.
Novelist Prof. George Onakkoor, currently chairman of the State Resource Centre, has an exceptional collection that consists mostly of Malayalam books. Says Onakkoor, "Serious reading has taken a beating over the years. The present education system hardly encourages reading among kids. There are around 4,500 village libraries in Kerala, known as the Grantha Shala Sanghom. Yet these sanctuaries of reading remain under-utilised."
Onakkoor started collecting books when he was a boy, and "and to this day, I keep buying books that catch my fancy". The highlight of his library is the collection of great epics such as the Mahabharata, Ramayana and their various translations.
"Reading," according to Onakkoor, "develops mental faculty". Recipient of the Sahitya Academi Award of 1980, Onakkoor is an ardent admirer of Bengali writers. He has a collection of Bengali works translated into Malayalam.
According to Onakkoor, there are two types of books -- "one is the literature of power and the other is the literature of knowledge". The "literature of power" is manifested in works of fiction, whereas encyclopaedias, non-fiction and history encompass the "literature of knowledge". Onakkoor retains works of nearly all Malayalam poets, novelists and short-story writers.
"Books are the best investment a person can make," opines Dr. Shyamala K. Nair, associate professor of Pharmacology, Medical College. "The novelty of reading seldom wears out and books are an asset that can benefit generations to come," she says. Shyamala's home library is stacked with books on Philosophy, Theology and Freudian Psychology, apart from a large assortment of medical books. She also has a Puranic Encyclopaedia and her collection includes works of English poets with emphasis on the Victorian poets.
P. R. P. Nair, a retired LIC officer, has an impressive collection of Defence-related books, including books on the wars India has fought. "I make it a point to buy at least two books a month, although it is financially taxing. But at the end of the day, I can pride myself on having a good home library.
Radhakrishnan, a Divisional Signal and Telecommunications Engineer in the Railways, says, "The first book I read was an English translation of Adolf Hitler's `Mein Kampf'. My home collection retains the German version as well. Reading `Mein Kampf' was the prelude to my plunge into the realm of books."
Radhakrishnan's library is stocked mostly with biographies, autobiographies and war literature. Being a subscriber to Reader's Digest, Radhakrishnan has every issue of the magazine since 1977.
The treasured read in his library is a copy of the `Talmud' - sacred book of Jews. "This book was a present from an Israeli friend of mine," he says.
M. P. Rajeevan, a city businessman, endorses the fact that reading sustains and nurtures the soul in the same way as exercise nourishes the body. Rajeevan devours fiction and has a well-stocked home library, consisting of books written by almost all celebrated writers of fiction.
Why the fixation on fiction?
"Authors create Utopian settings, where things turn out perfect and synchronised, as opposed to our frenzied world. I like to immerse myself in such worlds. When we read a story, we dwell in it. The covers of the book are like a roof and four walls. What is to happen next will take place within the four walls of the story," he quips.
"Maintaining a collection of books at home is a must if one has to get one's children introduced to the pleasures of reading. The advent of educational channels on TV and the Internet has made young people consider books as an archaic source of information and knowledge," he adds.
By way of books, man has been able to make something of him immortal. In books, a part of the individual persists, for it can sway the minds and actions of other people in different places and at different times. And when it comes to home libraries, what better furniture for a room than books!
ROOPA NAIR
Photo: A. J. Joji
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Thiruvananthapuram
Visakhapatnam
|
