The 64-year-old year daily wager Syed Ishaq, who has now rebuilt the library at Rajiv Nagar in Mysuru after it was gutted in an accidental fire in April last year, received a donation of more than 2,000 Kannada books and a cheque of ₹ 10,000 from the Kannada Writers and Publishers Association on Tuesday.
The Association, which is holding its second state-level publishers conference in Mysuru, organised a felicitation for Mr. Ishaq, who had painstakingly set up a public library in Rajiv Nagar out of his own funds, at Maharaja’s College in Mysuru on Tuesday.
After the ire accident reduced the library to ashes, many organisations came forward to help Mr. Ishaq rebuild the library and the Kannada Writers and Publishers Association too had pledged to offer help.
Though the Association planned to felicitate Mr. Ishaq at the rebuilt library, the prohibitory orders imposed by the City Police in the wake of the High Court order on hijab forced the organisers to shift the venue of the function to Maharaja’s Grounds. “As a lot of people would have gathered at the library for the function, the organisers asked me to come to Maharaja’s College for the felicitation”, said Mr. Ishaq.
Association President Nidasale Puttaswamaiah and other writers and publishers were present on the occasion.
A total of 2,102 titles worth ₹2,71,000 were donated to the library. While 200 titles were donated by Sapna Book House, 400 titles were donated by Geethanjali Publications, 250 by IBH Prakashana, 900 by Hemanth Sahitya, 102 by Vasantha Prakashana, 130 by Annapurna Publishing House, and 120 by Niranthara, according to a statement issued by the Association.
Though the promise made by Mysuru City Corporation and Department of Libraries, Government of Karnataka, to rebuild the library is yet to be fulfilled, Mr. Ishaq said Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) has transferred the land for the construction of a full-fledged library.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ishaq said he has erected a make-shift structure to house the books and the daily newspapers of the library by spending ₹4 lakh out of the donations he had received from different organisations, besides his own funds. He said he is still arranging for funds to build racks for placing the books in the library.
Mr. Ishaq said he was among the 37 achievers felicitated by the Delhi Women’s Commission in New Delhi on March 8, 2022, at a function attended by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
