Visit this library in Vile Parle that celebrates its 100th anniversary this year

Lokmanya Seva Sangh popularly called Tilak Mandir stands tall in a lane in Vile Parle Flanked by shops stocking necessity items and a florist selling seasonrsquos best the institute is now 102 years old This year marks the 100th anniversary of its Shreedhar Vasudev Phatak Library Situated on the second floor it is both a work of wonder and modesty In a quiet corner away from the opulence and buzz of a typical suburb it houses a rich collection of over 85000 books and magazines for Marathi and English readersAtul GokhaleFrom classics to contemporary fiction poetry drama biographies guides and cookbooks readers can find the finest works here We spotted our favourite Agatha Christies and Toni Morrisons but we also stumbled upon a rare collection of stories from the legendary Bengali writer Saratchandra Chattopadhyay Vijaya Kortikar a member since 1990 frequents the library all the way from Versova She tells us ldquoI once came across an old magazine about Nandi a prelude in old Marathi dramas It had the entire history of Nandi You can find any book on any subject hererdquo The childrenrsquos corner at the other end illuminates the space further One instantly notices stacks of contemporary childrenrsquos fiction as well as complete collections of Percy Jacksons Tintin and Asterix seriesrsquo among othersLibrarian Manjiri Vaidya at her deskIn addition to being a treasury of the old and new the library also opens space for dialogue When we catch up with Atul Gokhale the libraryrsquos secretary he reveals the teamrsquos focus for the centenary year to keep their community engaged ldquoWe initiated a monthly activity called Lokmanya Vachak Katta to give space to our readers to share something meaningful that they may have read as members of the libraryrdquo In addition to this they also invite authors to present insights on their books through their programme Lekhak Tumchya Bhetila ldquoThe whole idea is to propagate the culture of reading Although most authors whorsquove approached us have been from the Marathi literary background we donrsquot have that as a thumbrule The only rule we have is that their book should be in our library for the attendees to be able to issue itrdquoThe childrenrsquos section at the library hosts an expansive collectionGokhale also recalls their lsquoLokmanya Gapparsquo events which have welcomed significant local thinkers and leaders to share their knowledge ldquoFor us the library is not about book management but about information dissemination One can achieve that in different waysrdquo he says One of the challenges that stands before him is the digitisation of books ldquoWe donrsquot have an infrastructure where we can create an option of making books available online for our readers Publishers offer digital books only for sale not as a library optionrdquo He hopes for a meeting point between publishers and the library in the future ldquoIf they offer digitised versions for library subscription it wonrsquot eat into their buyer market In fact it will take literature to a much larger audiencerdquoA member checks out recently returned books at the counterDespite its challenges the library has seen a flourishing community that has benefitted from its collection especially with the advantage of its opendoor access policy It allows one to flip through several books before selecting one A major highlight of the space is its reference section Readers neednrsquot be members to access it Gokhale recollects how a member Latif Ansari located his ancestral village Mahua Dabar in Uttar Pradesh while referring to the books here ldquoThe village had been completely destroyed by the British army in 1857 He found its position on the map In 2011 a plaque was erected there in memory of the 1857 attack and it mentioned how our library lent a helping hand to Mr Ansarirdquo The village now has a growing community of residents and industriesOne of their life members Sujata Jog a journalist has held the membership for over 40 years For her the library has been a storehouse of knowledge ldquoItrsquos everything for me If they donrsquot have a book and I suggest it to them mdash and this is true for all members mdash they immediately get the book I mostly issue from their Marathi section I write in Marathi Irsquom happy at the library especially with very helpful staff and librarian I spend twothree hours there like how people spend time watching movies I remember once Irsquod wanted a book and they didnrsquot have it they arranged it through another library for merdquo As we wrap up we too return satiated like Jog and reassured that such historically rich sites continue to exist in the city still radiant and splendidAT Ram Mandir Road Vile Parle EastTIME Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 12 noon and 4pm730 pmCall 02235933131Membership fee Rs 2800yearSome rare findsgtgt Three Great Animal Stories by Carr Durrell and Kinlochgtgt Extreme Science From Cryogenics to Time Travel by Phil Clarkegtgt The Good Housekeeping Book of the Home by Diana Austengtgt Mee Bahurupee by Ashok Sarafgtgt Afsana Likh Rahi Hoon by Dr Mrudula Dadhegtgt Let the Jhelum Smile Again by Anil Athale