Enlightening Pabna for 134 years

It is believed that the history of libraries stretches back 5,000 years, originating somewhere between ancient Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt. The history of libraries in our region is not well known, but modern libraries first popped up here around 1850, during British rule.

Since 2018, February 5 has been observed as National Library Day in Bangladesh. While there are many libraries around the country today, only a few of them have been able to successfully carry the spirit of spreading knowledge.

Annoda Gobinda Public Library, a private library in Pabna, is one such institution.

Established in 1890 by zamindar Annoda Gobinda of Tantibandha estate in Pabna, this library is one of the oldest in the country.

The early heritage of this library has been replaced with new establishments over the years, but the spirit of the historic library remains the same, spreading the light of knowledge for 134 years.

"Since my student life, I have grown accustomed to going to the library. To this day, I go there for my professional needs. I prefer going to Annoda Gobinda Public Library as it has a rich collection of history books," said Md Mostafa Sotej, a writer who is also a regular reader at the library.

More than 30,000 books -- of which 9,000 are century-old books and manuscripts --are preserved in the library, according to library officials.

"Annoda Gobinda Public Library is one of the oldest libraries across the country. Many 100-150 year-old books are kept here," said Md Abdul Motin Khan, library secretary.

Beside old books, many documents written on palm leaves -- some as old as 300 years -- are kept here, he said. The secretary said this library exhibits rare books and publications every year.

According to historians, landlord Annoda Gobinda established a small library in the middle of the town in 1890 for the enlightenment of Pabna. Since then, the library has been located in the same place. It is now a four-storey building that provides services like modern reading facilities, as well as an auditorium.

The library is rich with books about history, literature, general knowledge and various other subjects, but students mostly come to the library for their academic work and to study for job entrance exams, said Md Ahsanul Alom Bokul, the institute's librarian.

The library also holds cultural programmes to observe different occasions to uphold traditional and cultural heritages, Bokul added.

Professor Shibojit Nag, a life-long member of the library, said the historic library is hardly getting any quality readers due to deteriorating reading habits.

"Once upon a time, this library would be full of teachers, researchers, writers, cultural activists, politicians and social workers. They used to come here to gather knowledge, but now reading trends are deteriorating," Nag said.

"Annoda Gobinda Public Library has been spreading the light of knowledge for 134 years. If we want to build an enlightened society, we must promote people's reading habits through this historic library," he added.