The reading room of Diamond Jubilee Library in Kendrapara.Telegraph picture

Kendrapara, July 10: The diamond jubilee celebration of Queen Elizabeth-II in faraway England this year had a distinct connection with a colonial institution in Kendrapara.

The English monarch’s jubilee celebrations reminded one of the Diamond Jubilee Library here, which was built in 1897 to commemorate 60 years of the rule of Queen Victoria. However, this library-cum-reading room, which bears the signature of English legacy, is wallowing in neglect.

This library is one of the oldest in the state. Weighed down by lack of financial support from the government, the historic Victorian era institution needs immediate attention if it is to survive.

The library is a treasure trove for booklovers and literature aficionados. Priceless documents from the British period besides books in English, Odia, Bengali and Hindi find pride of place in the library. Researchers from various specialised spheres from within and outside the state often visit this library because of its rich reserve of study material.

“Assistance from government agencies towards this historic institution is very little. A former MP had sanctioned local area development funds sometime ago. The funds came in handy as they were spent for the much-needed maintenance of the crumbling roof of the 115-year-old colonial building,” said Sachitananda Mohanty, president of the historic library.

The library management has been forced to rent out some portions of the building to keep it running. The rent and monthly membership fees were used to buy books and a few latest publications.

Besides, the librarian is paid monthly remuneration from the shoestring monthly budget, he said.

The Diamond Jubilee Library was built in June 1897 when British officials decided they needed a library. The matter was discussed with the local zamindars and the institution was born commemorating the diamond jubilee celebration of the then Empress of India Queen Victoria. Records and manuscripts preserved in the institution carry elaborate details of the event.

The library needs an urgent facelift and makeover though with limited resources, the management has tried its best to preserve it. Just as the diamond jubilee of Queen Elizabeth-II was observed this year, a similar diamond jubilee had been organised in 1897.

The British government is planning to refurbish monuments and institutions built in England and other commonwealth countries to commemorate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee year of coronation in 1897.

The Diamond Jubilee Library, as it is known, is a deserving case for the proposed refurbishment project, said Mohanty. The visitor’s book is an important possession of the library. The list of distinguished visitors is unending. Eminent leader Utakalmani Gopabandhu Das and even Radhanath Ray, one of the outstanding poets in the state, had visited this august institution, said Bijoy Das, a regular visitor of the library.

Despite its rich reserve of books and study material, there has been a drastic fall in the number of readers in recent years. “I have seen people lining up to occupy chairs to read daily newspapers and periodicals. But things have changed. Nowadays, chairs remain unoccupied since enrolled members take the books and periodicals home for reading,” Das said.