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Rare treat for book lovers

Scripts as old as 350 years are on display at Public Library

SURANJIT DEBNATH
Rare book lovers are in for a treat when they enter the Central Public Library, where hundreds of books published as long ago as 350 years including Yusuf Julekha, Shahanma, Bheda, Puran, Rare birds book, Ved,
Puran and Encyclopedia of World Art went on display yesterday during the first day of a three-day rare book show.
The exhibition brings together a wide range of aging manuscripts and documents, from scripts like Baisnab Toshini, Mahapuran and copies of the Quran, to rare dailies such as Danik Azad, Pakistan Observer and Dawn, as well as rare magazines, including Chhayabithi, Begum, Bharatbarsha, Dilruba, Samakal and Tapur Tupun.
The exhibition will remain open to the public from 10:00am to 5:00pm until February 2 at the Central Public Library at the Shahabag in the Capital.
"These rare books will help us know more about our national history and heritage," Anis Uddin Mian, director of the Central Public Library told The Daily Star.
While the exhibition celebrates national heritage, it also highlights the need for greater efforts in protecting rare books.
"Due to a lack of adequate funds, rare books are being damaged in the Central Publiclibrary," Mian also said.
"We don't have sufficient chemicals for preserving our rare books," he added.
Selima Rahman, State Minister for Cultural Affairs, yesterday inaugurated the exhibition.
Although she emphasised the need to preserve rare books for future generations, she also underscored that proper steps for preserving these assets cannot be taken without adequate funds.
People will not come to the library until its internal environment is improved and made more appealing, she added.
"Our government will take immediate effective measures to preserve these rare books and arrange more exhibitions in different parts of the
country, with a view to spreading our heritage among the countrymen," she told the Daily Star.
The government should preserve these rare books in the national archive and take proper steps to collect them, said Professor Shahidul Islam MP, president of the permanent committee of the Ministry for Culture Affairs.
"We are failing to collect and preserve the rare books in the public library due to the poor budget of the government," Zillur Rahman, Librarian of the Central Public Library told the Daily Star.
"Visitors to the exhibition will see hand-made and hand-written books, a real rarity," said Parvin Begum, deputy librarian of the Central Public library.
A total of 12,09,258 books are housed in the country's 68 public libraries, and 1,42,359 books in the Central Public Library, sources said. The Central Public Library's collection includes 3,000 rare books, but only 300 will be displayed during the exhibition.
The exhibition was organised by the public library directorate under the Ministry for Culture Affairs. A two-week training programme was also organised with a view to providing training in preserving rare booksin thelibrary.
A total of 120 trainers will be trained in three steps under the training programme, said Kazi Abdul Majed, course coordinator.