A gathering at a university in Guwahati turned into a tribute to the printed page this week, with writer and journalist Bikash Sarkar arguing that no amount of digital disruption has dimmed what people feel for a good book, or the space that houses it.
Sarkar was the keynote speaker at a special programme held at Assam down town University's (AdtU) Harinarayan Dattabaruah Central Library in Guwahati on Wednesday, organised to observe National Librarians' Day.
"Temples of books"
Sarkar told the gathering that books have always powered human progress, and that even as technology reshaped how people read and access them, the core pull of a book has not weakened. Libraries, he said, have been the institutions that kept that continuity alive. He summed up his view of these spaces with a single line: "A library is a temple of books, and librarians are the custodians of that temple."
Remembering the father of library science
University Librarian Dr. Ruby Goswami used the occasion to trace the life and work of Dr S. R. Ranganathan, who is widely seen as India's father of library science. Her address placed his ideas in context for the students and staff attending the programme.
Proceedings opened with AdtU's Vice Chancellor, Dr Narayan Chandra Talukdar, honouring Sarkar for his address. University Chancellor Dr. Narendranath Dutta then spoke directly to the students present, stressing how libraries continue to matter for both their academic training and their personal growth outside the classroom.
Other highlights
The event closed with a vote of thanks from Dr. Santosh Mohan Upadhyay. Earlier, the programme opened with a Saraswati Vandana rendered by Brishti Mousam Kashyap, and Assistant Professor Pangkhi Kashyap conducted proceedings throughout.
Organisers said the broader point of the programme was to underline the lasting part libraries play in building reading habits and sustaining a culture of knowledge and learning on campus.
