Room To Read: J N Petit restores lost sheen, but members dwindle

“We have tried to retain the period architecture of the building. The conservation included waterproofing the structure and comprehensive electrical works. We have provided fire fighting services and installed CCTV cameras. The renovation work is practically complete now,” says Vikas Dilawari, conservation architect.

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The building, which has over 150,000 books — including a rare copy of Firdausi’s 11th century epic poem Shahnama, illustrated with gold leaf — is easy to miss if you do not stop to take in the lovely architecture of the building. To conserve precious books, the library has a special room where rare and valuable books are kept under lock-and-key. “This room has very old manuscripts of the Zoroastrian religion. People researching on the religion usually seek access to such books,’’ says Nisha Rupani, senior librarian.

These books need proper conservation and is a costly affair. While conservation of the manuscripts is underway, the library will undertake conservation of other rare books in the future.

Rupani says that the one distinguishing feature of this library is the sheer variety of books on offer. “We have everything, fiction, non-fiction, books on art, books in regional languages like Marathi and Gujarati, and books on general subjects,” adds the librarian. In one corner is an entire collection of art books that were donated to the library.

The number of members are dwindling despite the wide collection. “The number of members have definitely gone down since the library opened. Presently, we have 2,000 members. Everything is available online now,” says Umarigar. Though very rarely, the library also gets requests from members asking them to trace their family tree.

The floor above the library has a huge airy reading room, with high stained glass windows, including the stained glass portraits of the Petit family. This reading room is full in the middle of the day. According to the library staff, this is common, especially before exams. Reclining wooden chairs kept near the windows of the reading room provide an opportunity to unwind while catching up on the day’s news.

According to Rupani, most of the new members are students. “Children usually only come to the library when coaxed by their parents,” says Rupani, who started as a member of a library herself, and decided to make her love for books her profession.

The library has a board put up, highlighting the forthcoming books. “You can never predict which book will become popular. For instance, during a certain period when a scam has taken place, books written on the subject are very popular. Besides writers like Chetan Bhagat, Sydney Sheldon, John Grisham, who are the favourites, autobiographies of Hitler and Mahatma Gandhi are always in demand,” says Rupani.

The library has a book committee, which mainly decides on which books to purchase every year. But maintenace is not an easy task. “It is difficult. But we survive on donations,” says Umarigar.

ruhi.bhasin@expressindia.com