AIDA consultant C. Ramaswamy tends his garden. Picture by Uma Shankar Dubey

Chandrashekhariah Ramaswamy is one those lucky few whose profession is also his passion. His love for books became a career when he became a librarian at Government College in Mangalore.

After completing his schooling from Nanjangud town near Mysore, Ramaswamy did his BSc from Sharada Vilas College, Mysore. “I was always passionate about books and wanted to be in a profession that would allow me to be immersed in books.”

In 1969, Ramaswamy completed his post-graduation in library science from the Manas Gangotri College in Mysore. “To become a librarian one should have a love for books and a desire to interact with different types of people.” And Ramaswamy never lacked these qualities.

Starting his career as a librarian at the tender age of 19, Ramaswamy got what he wanted. But he did not know that he was destined to rub shoulders with top professionals in the country.

“I was lucky to have been associated with the best libraries in the country while pursuing my course in library science. We were required to tour the country to get a feel of different libraries. I had visited Connemera Library in Chennai, Asiatic Society Library in Mumbai and the Delhi Public Library. But the library at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, bowled me over.”

Ramaswamy feels Bangalore is the best place for bookworms. “You can flip through books on varied subjects at book shops on Mahatma Gandhi Road in Bangalore. I love spending hours in the bookstores in the silicon city. The best thing is you do not need to buy books..you can simply read them for hours.”

Recalling his stint as head of libraries at Bharat Electronics Bharat Heavy Engineering Limited (BHEL) and Steel Authority of india Limited (SAIL) in Jamshedpur, Ramaswamy says, “I worked as a German translator and officer in-charge of the library at BHEL. I learnt the technical aspects of managing a library during my stint in the public sector units.”

Writing summaries of technical journals at BHEL library honed his skills as a librarian. “I also arranged abstract cards in such a manner that they were easily found by the technical staff members who used to drop in at the library. Ramaswamy joined Tata Steel as assistant manager, information services, in 1982. Later, in 1986, he took charge of the Sevak Nanavati Technical Institute (SNTI) library. During his tenure at SNTI, Ramaswamy had a steady stream of corporate honchos visiting the library there. “Knowing top corporate executives from such close quarters has helped me grow professionally.”

He was instrumental in making the library a centre where people can spend hours on end. Apart from books, the library boasts of a toddlers’ corner, a toy and CD library, cyber cafe and a project centre, where students will get all that they need to complete school projects.

Ramaswamy operated from home for sometime after opting for the Early Separation Scheme of Tata Steel in 2002. He guided various companies wishing to set up libraries before taking up the job of consultant at of Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority in July, 2003. Here again he set up a state-of-the-art knowledge centre.

Even after 30 years in this profession, Ramaswamy feels the same child-like excitement on buying a new book.

“Last week I had visited Calcutta. Being a Sunday the shops were all closed. I desperately wanted a book. I dropped in at road-side shops, which sells second-handbooks and got what I wanted. I was thrilled.”

When he is not immersed in books, Ramaswamy spends his time cooking and tending his garden. In fact, most of his evenings are spent in the kitchen, tossing up the best dosas in town.

He finds tending his plants therapeutic. Roses, tulips and scores of other plants are neatly lined up in his roof-top garden. His passion for books, however, never interfered with his family life. “My two sons Chandanatreya and Ranjanatreya were very young when my wife passed away. But I think I have managed to fill the void left by their mother.”

Jayesh Thaker