AHMEDABAD, JULY 20: Six years after about 350 books, gifted by Mahatma Gandhi to the local M J Library way back in 1933, went missing, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has finally started looking for them. And it is looking within the library, suspecting that the books have only been misplaced.The books disappeared from the library's reference section. Municipal Commissioner K Kailashnathan believes the books could be in other sections, because the library does not have proper inventory control. So, he has ordered a cross verification of books in all sections. ``A report is expected in two months or so'', he said.At the same time, Kailashnathan does not rule out the possibility that ``some books may have gone out of the library'' before these were withdrawn from circulation and transferred to the reference section in 1976 in view of their historical importance. Many of the books were rare; many others bore the Mahatma's signature.According to Amrut Modi, secretary of the Gandhi Ashram Preservationand Memorial Trust, Mahatma Gandhi wrote to AMC in July 1933, saying that he wanted to gift the books ``for safety, preservation and access to general public''. On July 30, 1933, about a thousand books were given for the M J Library, which was to start two months later. The original entry and issue registers were also given to the library, Modi said.The fact that the books were missing was recently brought to light by AMC Standing Committee member Badruddin Sheikh. Mayor Joitaram Patel dismissed it as ``an old case''. AMC sources said audit objections regarding missing books had been made year after year, but ``these were treated as a routine irritant''.Librarian Prafullaben Gajjar said she knew nothing about the books. She had taken over only in January 1999, after the last physical verification, which was conducted in October last year by the audit wing of the AMC. Her predecessor Chhaganlal Bhaiya, who held the post for about two decades, might throw some light, she said. Bhaiya was not available forcomment.Interestingly, like Kailashnathan, Gajjar also felt that the books ``may have been misplaced; there is no question of their going out'' because no one could visit the reference section unless accompanied by a staff member. She claimed that another 148 books, which had been donated by the Gandhi Ashram and were missing for some time, had been found.Ramlal Parikh, Chancellor of Gujarat Vidyapeeth and eminent Gandhian, too, does not think people could have taken away the books deliberately. But since ``it is a fact that books are missing, and these are rare books, the AMC can issue an appeal to the people who have copies of these books to either donate these or allow photocopies to be made''.Chunibhai Vaidya, veteran Gandhian, appealed to those who might have taken away the books to return them. ``They are too precious to keep at home'', he remarked, and said it was a matter of great shame that ``we have failed to preserve the heritage of the Father of the nation.'' Incidentally, thereference section, which is located in the basement of the library, looks more like a transport company godown, littered with broken furniture, withdrawn books and other useless stuff. Prafullaben said these things were kept there because of water seepage in other portions of the building. The reference books are kept in cupboards, she assured.Kailashnathan, who took over Municipal Commissioner only recently, said he would ensure proper upkeep of the library, including the reference section, and strict compliance of audit objections. The M J Library is one of the oldest in the country and the biggest in Gujarat.
