Centuries-old books centre of attraction at GNDU library

Divya Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 24

The section of rare books and manuscripts at the Bhai Gurdas Library at Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has been a centre of attraction for students. The library authorities are busy preserving the rare books and manuscripts.

The collection of rare books and manuscripts stands at 5,177. The centre also has a collection of letters of Shaheed Udham Singh, pictures of the horrific Komagata Maru incidents. Besides, coins of Maharaja Ranjit Singh are also here, catching the fancy of the visitors.

The section, located in the four-storey library of the university, has unique paintings on its walls.

The treasure in the possession of the varsity includes books having stone printing and handwritten text on handmade papers. Certain books talk about medicine practices and musical instruments. The authorities are also keeping a strict routine in maintaining these centuries-old books and manuscripts.

Nishi Handa, in-charge of the rare books and manuscripts section, said, “These books are more than 100, maybe thousand years old. Special care has to be taken. After every 15 days, we keep them in the fumigation machine. The chemical treatment helps in keeping their longevity.”

“We are also digitisation the manuscripts. The process is on,” said Gurpreet Singh, in charge of the digitisation of rare books and manuscript section.

The interesting part of the section is a segment which has kept rare manuscripts written in Gurumukhi, Sanskrit and Persian languages. The centre receives grant from the National Archive of India.

The special attraction is a handwritten Sri Guru Granth Sahib, the origin of which is unknown. It has been kept as per customs, he said.

Deepanshu Singh, a student of the university, said, “This is my first day at the university. It is an amazing place to visit.”

Dr Amit Kauts, in charge of the Bhai Gurdas Library at Guru Nanak Dev University, said, “We have a variety of manuscripts. At present, the entire library has more than five lakh reading material. This section is open to all, anyone can come and see.”

Meanwhile, the library is also organising an exhibition in the association of Sahitya Academy, New Delhi for four days.