Library at Ludhiana’s Sahitya Akademi boasts of rare books

Ludhiana, Punjab: The reference and research library of Punjabi Sahitya Akademi (PSA) a t Ferozpur Road stands out from an ordinary library and is a house to over 45,000 books which exhibits varied ethos of Punjabi language and culture, thanks to its management and members who are guided by 84-year-old librarian Prem Singh Bajaj. Bajaj retired as a principal in 1993 and since then he has been serving the library with sheer dedication.The library has a collection of about 45,000 books on various subjects, including 2,900 thesis on Punjabi language, literature, history and culture.

Besides, one can find encyclopaedias, holy books in different languages and even 200-year-old hand written books by erudite writers and poets from across the world.

Though most of the books are in Punjabi, you will also find various collections of books in Hindi, English and Urdu which is the reason that the library is a prime destination for literature lovers, IAS and PCS aspirants. The library officials said over 400 hand-written books of different sizes have been carefully kept and were digitalised during the tenure of for mer PSA president Gurbhajan Singh Gill. Bajaj, known for his managing skills and dedication said, “Book lovers from different pockets of the globe kee p donating rare books to the library.”. He added that language department of Punjab, Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), Amritsar, and Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandak Committee ( SGPC) also helped revive the library.

Source: HT