The programme of the Memorial's activities was drawn up and implemented with a view to stimulating interest, about its contents in the minds of the visiting public, in general, and the student com- munity in particular.
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library The Museum continued to consolidate its earlier programmes and also expanded its other activities. The Museum was set up by Government in 1964 as a major repository of contemporary history.
The library enriched its research resources further. The number of books added to the shelves of the library was 2,397 which brought the total holdings to 66,264 including 4,020 volumes of
228
old newspapers. The library's microfilm collection was augmented by the acquisition of Bengalee (1863-1909), Madras Times (1869), Pioneer (1874-1884), (1886-1906), People (1929) Searchlight (1946-47), and 9 microfilm copies of unpublished dissertations on modern Indian History. The Photo Library acquired 707 new photographs. The collection of photographs as on 20 December, 1977, had 47,298 photographs.
Among the private papers acquired during this period were those of D. P. Mishra, Ajit Prasad Jain, Indulal Yajnik, Jagdish Prasad, V. V. S. Aiyar, Haribhau Upadhyaya, Neki Ram Sharma, Pattom Thanu Pillai, Srinivasa Sastri, and 14. K. Sherwani.
The Reprography Unit microfilmed the Dawn (1943-65), The Bombay Chronicle (1951-56), the Pioneer 1935-58), the Tej (1929-40), the Khalsa Akhbar (1886-89) the marxist Miscellany (1945-46) the Arya (1926-59), and the Vedic Magazine (1907-32).
For the Oral History Project. 88 interviews with 38 persons were recorded. Among those interviewed were Prof. N. G. Ranga, Shri Shantilal Shah, Shri Hari Das Muzumdar, Maulana Imdad Sabri, Shri Ansar Harvani, Comrade Shri Ram Kishan, and Shri Bhurelal Baya. By 20 December, 1977, 2,135 interviews with 738 persons had been conducted.
A number of lectures and seminars bearing on. the nationalisation movement and the history of modem India were held. Notable was the, two-day seminar on "Gandhi : The Exponent of an Alternative Civilization". The seminar was anaugurated by Dr. P. C. Chunder, Minister of Education, Social Welfare and Culture. Distinguished historians, political scientists, sociologists and Gandhian thinkers and scholars participated in the seminar.
Gandhi Darshan, New Delhi The present exhibition consists of the following theme pavilions :-
(i) My Life; Is My Message.
(ii) India of My Dreams.
(iii) Evolution of Philosophy of Satyagraha.
(iv) Truth is God.
(v) Constructive Programme.
(vi) India's Freedom Struggle.
229
The following special programmes were organised during the year under report :-
(i) An on the spot essay competition was organised for the students of colleges in Delhi on 30-1-1977. The students were, required to write essay on any one of the following subjects:-
(a) Gandhiji & Unity of India;
(b) Gandhi & Nehru : Friends & Fellow-workers.
(ii) Gandhi Darshan put up a "Bapu Mandap" in the Gandhi Mela organised by the Municipal Corporation. of Delhi from 29th September to, 4th October, 1977.
(iii) An on-the-spot essay competition was organised for the students of 8th and 9th classes of Delhi schools in all 409 students of class 8th and 547 students of class 9th participated in this competition inspite of heavy down-pour on 1st October, 1977. The book prescribed for the competition was "Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi".
(iv) (a) A special exhibition entitled GANDHI IN CARTOONS was prepared and displayed in "India of My Dreams" pavilion of the Gandhi Darshan and was kept on public view from 2nd October to 20th October, 1977.
(b) Special film shows on the life and work of Gandhiji were arranged.
(v) (a) In celebration of the 75th birthday-"Amrit Mahotsav" of Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan a special exhibition entitled "SWARAJYA FOR THE PEOPLE" depicting the last events of Gandhiji's life and the life and work of Jayaprakash Narayan, was organised on the occasion.
(b) A cultural programme of folk dances and songs based on the theme of national integration was staged under the management and direction of Smt. Sundri Seshadri and her party.
New Schemes (a) Gandhi Darshan Youth Training Centre
A new programme of "Gandhi Darshan Youth Training Centre " was launched under the auspices of the
230
Gandhi Darshan from 7th November, 1977. The main objective of this scheme is to provide the youth and student community, a place where their idealism could find right expression, which would enable them to play a responsible constructive role in the making Of a new Society.
(b) Taking Gandhi To Schools
Under this scheme it is proposed to contact the schools in Delhi. A team of Gandhian workers would go to the schools and meet the Principals and Teachers and explore various possibilities in scheme. The programmes to be covered under the, scheme include, interclass and inter-school competitions talks film shows. work-camps, Book and crafts, exhibitions, programmes for teachers etc.
Help Rendered to Institutions
(i) The last wing of the "Constructive Programme" pavilion was made available to the KVIC to hold a conference of Khadi workers for 3 days from 13th to 15th November, 1977.
(ii) The "Constructive Programme" pavilion was placed at the disposal of the Council for Application and Extension of Technology to Rural India from 15th July, 1977 for putting up the, exhibition on Rural Technology.
(iii) All facilities were provided to the "All India Prohibition Council" to hold their 3-day conference in the Gandhi Darshan complex from 29th September, 1977, to 1st October, 1977.
(iv) A set of photographic exhibition entitled "Gandhiji and the children" that was organised in Gandhi Darshan in January, 1977 was loaned out to Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya, Ahmedabad. They put up this exhibition on public view on 2nd October, till 20th October, 1977.
Dr. Zakir Husain Memorial Museum, New Delhi The Dr. Zakir Husain Memorial Museum, New Delhi, was opened to the public on the 3rd May, 1976. Initially, the Museum was set up with the material which was then available. A special
231
Committee has been formed to prepare a blue print in the display scheme of the Museum. Some changes will have to be made in the exhibition.
Indian War Memorial Museum, Red Fort, Delhi After repairs of the building in which this Museum is located, work relating to the re-display of exhibition e.g. preparation of show cases and other display equipments was undertaken. This work is in progress.
B. LIBRARIES The Department has supported the specialised libraries, libraries devoted to contemporary history and public libraries. The specialised libraries include the National Library, Calcutta, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala, Central Reference Library, Calcutta, etc. Assistance is also provided to the Library of the Indian Council of World Affairs. In the field of public libraries, the support is extended to the Delhi Public library, Central Secretariat Library etc. Assistance is also provided to the voluntary organisations working in the field of public libraries. The libraries receiving Government support are :-
(a) National Library, Calcutta;
(b) Central Reference Library, Calcutta;
(c) Specialised libraries
(i) Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library, Patna;
(ii) Rampur Raza Library, Rampur;
(iii)Tanjore Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswathi Mahal Library, Thanjavur;
(iv) Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, Dharam- sala;
(d) Public Libraries
(i) Delhi Public Library, Delhi;
(ii) Central Secretariat Library, New Delhi;
(iii) Indian Council of World Affairs Library, New Delhi.
(iv) Central library, Bombay.
232
National Library, Calcutta The, National Library is at present a subordinate office under the Department of Culture and the Director enjoys the financial and administrative powers as are delegated to an Head of the Department. Prof. R. K. Das Gupta has taken over as the Director of the, Library on 1st July, 1977. Recommendations for appointment to the post of Librarian has, also been received from the Union Public Service Commission and the new Librarian is expected to join the library shortly.
The Library is the biggest library of its kind in the country with a stock of about 16 lakhs books. It is one of the three reci- pient libraries under the Delivery of Books Act 1954 and receive books, publications, newspapers and documents of all sorts issued for general circulation. The Library is also the foremost repository in the country of U.N. Documents. Thus it is discharging the normal responsibility of a National Library in the national as well as in international sphere, To ensure proper preservation of the valuable collection of the Library it has been decided to install automatic alarm system in the library and necessary funds for this project has been sanctioned. Furthermore action to construct a new, annexe building, vertical extension of reader's hostel, construction of recreation hall for the benefit of the library has been initiated.
Central Reference Library, Calcutta The Central Reference Library has been publishing the Indian National Bibliography since the last quarter of 1957. During the year under review the following various roman script issues were compiled and printed :-
(i) 10 Monthly issues from September, 1976 to June, 1977 have been compiled and edited.
(ii) three annual volumes viz. Annual Volume 1968, 1974 and Index Part of 1975 are in the press.
(iii) Nine monthly issues from December 1975 to August, 1976 were printed during the same period.
The language bibliographies were being printed by the State Governments. During the year the following language fascicules of Indian National Bibliography were printed and published :-
(i) Rashtriya Grantha Suchi (Hindi Bhag) Three Year Cummulated Vol. 1965-67 (in two volumes.)
233
(ii) Malayalam Bibliography Annual Vol. 1976.
(iii) Telugu Bibliography Two, year Cummulated volume 1965-66.
The following language bibliographies are in the State Government presses under print :-
(i) Assamese Bibliography 1962-70
(ii) Gujarati Bibliography 1962-71
(iii) Marathi Bibliography 1970
(iv) Punjabi Bibliography 1971-72
(v) Tamil Bibliography 1968-74
Plan Schemes included in the Fifth Five Year Plan
Book Exchange Unit could not be taken up for implementation during the fifth five year plan. However, under the project "Index Indiana" and experimental fascicule of Index covering three languages-Hindi, Marathi and Tamil has been compiled and cyclostyled copies have been sent to, various libraries and educational institutions in India and abroad for their comments.
Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library, Patna The Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library has an important collection of about 12,500 Arabic, Persian Manuscripts and about 62,000 printed books. During the year, 1977-78 the Library has acquired about 120 manuscripts so far and another 100 mss. are expected to be acquired. 500 printed books have been acquired so far, and it is expected to acquire 500 more.
During the current year about 450 manuscripts and about 2,000 printed books are expected to be repaired and bound.
During the year 1977-78 a rare manuscript `Diwan-e-Maubid' is expected to, be, printed.
The Library expects, to reproduce, three old volumes of the Catalogue of its Arabic and Persian mss. that have been out of stock.
As per new volumes of the Catalogue, volumes, 31-32 are passing through the last stages of print and volumes 33-36 have been completed, volumes 37-38 have been taken up of the quarterly `Khuda Baksh Library Journal' two issues have been printed and two more are expected to be printed by the end of the year.
234
Rampur Raza Library, Rampur Rampur Raza Library has a most valuable collection of about 1500 manuscripts in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Sanskrit, Hindi,Tamil and Turkish and about 30,000 printed books (including periodicals) in various languages. During the year the library has acquired 27 manuscripts of Arabic and Persian and 975 printed books and volumes of Urdu Arabic and Persian and English periodicals. Besides the library has published 12 manuscripts dealing with history under its scheme of publication, and is preparing a critical edition of a very important manuscript of immense historical value i.e. Tarikh-e-Baburi; the book is a comtemporary Persian translation by the courtier Zain-e-Khanafi; Another book, i.e. Tarikh-e-Mohammadi is being copied from the original for printing under the publication programme.
T.M.S.S.M. Library, Thanjavur The Tanjore Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswati Mahal Library was described by Dr. Burnell "to be perhaps the best and the most important in the world". It had its roots in the times of the Im- perial Cholas, was subsequently revived by the Thaniayur Naicks of the Vijyanagar Empire, and was greatly developed in the early part of the Nineteenth Century by Maharaja Serjoji II. The Government of Madras took possession of the library on the 5th October, 1918 under the Charitable Endowments Act and formed a Committee for its management. The first Committee started functioning in 1918 and the administration of the Library has been carried on ever since through the Committee.
The question of treating the Library as an institution of national importance has been under consideration. Pending all this, the library is being assisted by this Department to meet its immediate requirements.
Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamsala The Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, Dharamasala was set up by the Council of Cultural and Religious Affairs of H. H. Dalai Lama with the approval of the Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Finance. The Library is governed by a Board of Management consisting of nine members of whom three are representatives of the Government of India-one from the Department of Culture, one from the Ministry of External Affairs and one from the Department of Rehabilitation. His Holiness Dalai Lama is the Chairman of this Board. There is a Plan allocation of Rs. 10.00 lakhs for this library during the Vth Plan period.
235
There is a budget provision of Rs. 2.00 lakhs during the current financial year, i.e. 1977-78. This Department is paying grant to the library for meeting recurring and non-recurring expenditure on the recommendations of the Committee which visited the library during 1975.
Delhi Public Library, Delhi The Delhi Public Library was established in 1951 by the Gov- ernment of India in collaboration with Unesco with a view to providing a public library service for the people of the Union Territory of Delhi and to act as a model for public library development of India and other countries. It consists of a Central Library, 4-Branches, 18-Sub-branches, 13-Deposit stations, 5Mobile Library Vans serving 60 areas in the Union Territory of Delhi, 3 Hospital Libraries at G. B. Pant Hospital, Bara Hindu Rao Hospital and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and Library for the prisoners at the Central Jail, Tihar. The highlights of the programme of the library are as under :-
(i) Sub-Branch of the Library meant for Children set up at the Jor Bagh Community Hall was inaugurated by the Acting President Shri B.D Jatti, on 2nd July, 1977; and
(ii) An exhibition was arranged in collaboration with the U.S.S.R. Embassy on "Soviet Union Jubilee" which was inaugurated by Dr. Prem Kirpal, Chairman, Delhi Library Board on 16-5-1977.