Bhubaneswar: Books are our best friends. People really enjoy the company of books when they feel alone. People befriend books to be able to laugh. People also get right advice, and understand the real meaning of life from books.
On this occasion we are listing some Odisha libraries that have spread the joy of reading.
Harekrushna Mahtab State Library
The Harekrushna Mahtab State Library is located in Bhubaneswar. It was completed in 1959. In 1967, it was named as Gandhi Bhawan to commemorate Mahatma Gandhi’s birth centenary.
In 1987, the government decided to rename the State Library as Harekrushna Mahtab State Library after Dr Harekrushna Mahtab.
In 1987, too, the library was renovated and the entire four-storied building was utilised for the functioning of two Libraries i.e. State Library for the entire State of Odisha and another Public Library for Bhubaneswar city.
Library In Odisha State Museum
The Odisha State Museum has a well-equipped library containing published material in all branches of museum activity.
The library was started with the establishment of the museum. The first major collection of the library was from the archaeological department of the former state of Mayurbhanj. The library has a collection of around 21,000 books, periodicals, maps, etc., covering various subjects like Art, Indian history, Archaeology, Architecture, Ethnology, Pre-history, Epigraphy, Numismatic, Iconography, Museology, Religion, Puranas, Natural History, Astrology and Literature.
Kanika Library, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack
This library was established in 1922 and named after Kanika King Sri Rajendra Narayan Bhanjadeo, who donated 55,000 books for setting up the facility.
Kanika Library is considered one of the oldest libraries of Odisha.
It has a collection of around 2.5 lakh books including some rare ones.
Parija Library
The central library of Utkal University, is named after its first Vice Chancellor, Professor Pranakrushna Parija.
It was set up in 1946 in Cuttack, and shifted to the Utkal University campus in Bhubaneswar in 1962.
The library has over 2,00,000 books and 5,800 rare manuscripts.
Banchhanidhi Pathagara
Dasarathi Patnaik, famously known as Dasia Aja, established the Banchhanidhi Pathagar in Nayagarh in 1959. The library has a collections of over 50,000 books and around 65,000 journals and magazines. There is also a huge collection of over 3,000 palm-leaf manuscripts.
Dasia Aja is designated as father of the library movement in Odisha.
Bakul Foundation
To spread the joy of reading among slum children, Bakul Foundation near Satyanagar Big Bazar in Bhubaneswar has built a library on its premises.
More than 30,000 story books, novels, and travelogues etc are available at this library.
Many slum children gather at the library from 2-8 pm daily. This library was founded in 2007.
“We have not purchased any books for this library. People used to donate the books. Schoolchildren, college students, politicians, and administrators donated the books,” said Sujit Mohapatra, founder of Bakul Foundation.
Walking BookFairs
Akshaya Routray and Satabdi Mishra have brought a unique concept based on a “travelling library” or “books on wheels”.
To reach every one, they used to travel in different parts of the state with the books.
They have started a bookstore and a library of their own. They bought books with little money they had and put them in their backpacks. They used to walk around to display the books at bus stops and footpaths.
Then they started Walking BookFairs in Koraput in 2014.
They opened a physical bookshop of Walking BookFairs in Bhubaneswar in 2015.
