A flock of noisy crows flying over a neem tree in the courtyard of the Bhadariya Library made up for a raucous afternoon.
But the library in the middle of and, more significantly, underneath the Thar desert in western Rajasthan was eerily silent.
Though commonly considered the biggest underground library in Asia, the library in Jaisalmer has been silent for a while, despite the many surprises it holds.
The magic reveals itself 32 steps below the surface.
Buried treasure
One shelf is meant for books on agriculture. Another for astronomy. While one side belongs to religion, the other is preserved for geography.
“The library has over two lakhs’ books and several 1000-years-old
manuscripts,” points out a proud Ashok Sodani, 41, who takes care of the library.
There is a lot to be proud about. Spread over 50,000 square feet – all
underground – the library has 562 almirahs, each three feet wide and six feet long stacked with books. There is also a 16000 feet long shelf to store books.
But the library hosts an embarrassing secret too.
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“One big issue is that these books have no readers. No one comes to read here,” Sodani added with a sigh.
The library has over two lakhs’ books and several 1000-years-old manuscript… (But) no one comes to read here
There could be two reasons why readers no longer turn up at the library.
One, not many beyond the borders of Jaisalmer know about its existence.
Two, it is too far away from the mainstream educational institutes of the country.
A brainchild of Sri Bhadariyaji Maharaj – a social reformer from Punjab who came to live in Rajasthan in the 1960s – the library is failing the primary objective for which it was organically set up despite housing a veritable treasure trove.
Sheltered learning – literally
Maharajji, as he is reverentially remembered now, was driven by the
desire to spread education and wished to start a university. He began by constructing the library, which was completed in 1998.
To encourage people to be educated, he also had to think about providing them with a space that was conducive to studies. Fierce sandstorms and an unduly hot sun often made even breathing difficult for locals.
Maharaji, who designed the library, felt that an underground library would provide shelter to people from the weather and allow them a space to nurture their reading habits.
Sawal Singh, now in his 70s, recounted how he and other villagers dug the sand and created space inside the earth.
“It was all sand and nothing else,” Singh said.
In its initial years the library had books and manuscripts on about 515 subjects. The books would be procured from book fairs held in India and abroad.
The procurement continued till about 2005-06.
“Trucks fully loaded with books would arrive and Maharaj ji would himself participate in unloading them,” recollected Sodani.
But times have changed and the hustle-bustle around the library has declined.
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The only loud noise today is from the periodic test firing of artillery by Indian soldiers at a nearby firing range.
“The sound has caused a few cracks in the walls of the library’s reading room,” pointed out Harish Suthar, 25. He is among five local boys who have made a rare trip to the library to study and prepare for a teacher appointment exam.
The Bhadariya Library is run by a trust called Sri Jagdamba Sewa Samiti, which also looks after a temple situated by the side of the library. It is also called the Bhadariya Mandir trust.
“The library for now is a museum of books. People visit it, look at it, and leave,” Harish said.
Locals, though, proudly recollect that APJ Abdul Kalam had once visited it after the Pokhran nuclear blast. The former president was a nuclear scientist then.
Bhadariyaji Maharaj left a vision. If someone could resurrect it, it would uplift the field of education
In the library compound is a small room where the belongings of Maharajji, who passed away in 2010, are preserved. A copy of what Kalam wrote later about the library in his book is also kept with care.
The Trust offers milk and butter free of cost to the needy and to the visitors. The readers could get two meals a day in the canteen.
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But then visitors are down to a trickle. Neeru Sekhri, a career guidance counsellor, was one of the rare few who had come calling to check on what lay in store underground.
“I felt that we know so little, we read so little. This treasure should be digitised and every book preserved,” she said in delight, seeing the row upon row of books.
Another visitor by the name Rahul who had come by, agreed.
“Bhadariyaji Maharaj has left a vision. If someone could resurrect it, it would uplift the field of education,” he said.
One by one, the visitors left. The sun set. And the crows settled.
There was no noise.
The library once again awaited its resurrection.
The lead image at the top shows Ashok Sudani, one of the caretakers of Bhadariya Library(Photo by Amir Malik)
Amir Malik is a freelance journalist based in Bihar. He writes about health, women and children and their interaction with nature. He is a Rural Media Fellow 2022 at Youth Hub, Village Square.
