Award celebrates librarians in the age of algorithms

In the School Librarian category, the award was presented to Jai Shekhar, teacher-cum-librarian at the government Primary School Dharmapur Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh. Saba Khan, founder of the Savitribai Phule Fatima Sheikh Library, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, received the Community Librarian award.

Celebrating ‘humanity’s fight with algorithm’: Anant Goenka

The Organisation for Early Literacy Promotion (OELP), a society founded in 2008 dedicated to building school and community libraries in rural India, was given the Organisation Championing Library Work award while Vidya Devi, a full-time librarian at Kamala Nimbkar Balbhavan, Phaltan, Maharashtra, being run under the State Board, received a Special Mention for School Librarian.
Appreciating the efforts of librarians, Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, said, “What we are celebrating today is humanity’s fight with the algorithm.” He was moderating a special conversation with Tara Sharma Saluja, actor and producer, and author Ashwin Sanghi.

The awards honoured four library champions from across the country and discussed the enduring power of books in a digital world. (Express Photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Recounting his maternal grandfather’s tradition of sending him a book every week from Kanpur, Sanghi said: “By handpicking books and making me read, my nanaji (grandfather) changed the course of life.”

Sharma Saluja noted that while many from privileged backgrounds grow up with books at home, the awards recognised the efforts of those who passed on the love of books to those who don’t have access to them. “That’s incredible. Books open your mind,” said Sharma Saluja, who graduated from the London School of Economics and worked at Accenture before pursuing acting.

According to Sharma Saluja, as long as they are reading good writing, whether it is on a device or printed on paper, it should be appreciated. She, however, would want to make sure “the next generation also knows the joy of holding a book”.

Sanghi said: “The access to information has become so limitless that they (readers) don’t necessarily feel the urge to delve into the long form. Let them use all the technological tools available to them. But make sure they also have the old fashioned way of consuming material and content.”

Citing the fact that the sale of physical books in Nordic countries has gone up, Goenka pointed out that there is “a huge counterculture” trend unfolding.

“It is invaluable what the librarians do,” Goenka said and added: “Print is not going anywhere. In fact, it is growing because of the credibility of that medium.”