 |
| Library View |
Introduction:
Learning new things is an instinct
of human beings. Books hold great importance in various aspects of our lives,
contributing to education, personal development, entertainment, cultural
preservation, and the spreading of knowledge.
The
literature on the history of libraries shows that the mechanism of recording
human communication and its protection was the
first step toward the establishment of libraries. The presence of Jhandir Library in the far-flung area is a great
blessing to the people of the area, students and researchers.
History of Private Libraries:
In older times The collections consisted of clay tablets,
papyrus rolls, and manuscripts that were created and housed with great
care in rooms adjacent to temples. The aim of writing was to preserve sacred human
communication and knowledge. From ancient times, rulers have controlled
knowledge in order to establish social, religious, cultural, and political
power. Their private libraries served as archives
that held documents of royal families, charts, private medical records, events of military histories and campaigns, and other personal records of the kings and rulers. Thus
almost all libraries until the 19th century were private libraries owned by kings,
temples, and other individuals/institutions, and were usually restricted to dignity, aristocracy,
scholars, or priests. Examples of the earliest known private libraries include
one found in Ugarit-Syria (dated to around 1200 B.C.E.) and the
Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh (near modern Mosul, Iraq- dating back to
the 7th century B.C.E). Private libraries for citizens
became possible after the invention of the printing press, which allowed
individuals to develop personal collections.
Important Private Libraries in the world:
I have shortlisted few libraries
from the Financial Times list of the
world’s most wonderful Private Libraries:-
 |
| The American Library Paris |
Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt
 |
| Bibliotheca Alexandrina, Egypt |
The London Library, London
 |
| The London Library, London |
The Morgan Library and Museum, New
York
 |
| Morgan Library New York |
Stuttgart City Library, Germany
 |
| Stuttgart City Library, Germany |
Significance of Masood Jhandir Library:
This library has been a gift to the
area. Experts in Religion, medicine, agriculture, astronomy, chemistry,
physics, philosophy, literature, art, engineering, and all other sciences and
arts were engaged in education and research day and night and spread the light
of knowledge. The Largest Private Library of Pakistan is Only 85 km away
from Multan and 70 km from Bahawalpur. I had heard a lot about this Great
treasure of knowledge from different people and was curious to see the magnificent
Library.
 |
| Library Inside |
Visit of Library-2016:
During my LLB degree in April 2016,
the administration of our college, Bahawalpur Law College, arranged a trip to
Masood Jhandir Research Library near Sardarpur Mailsi. This library started
with the books of Malik Ghulam Muhammad, a landlord of Sardarpur Jhandir in
1890. By 1936, he had collected thousands of books. After the death of Malik
Ghulam Muhammad, the books were inherited by his grandson Mian Masood Ahmad
Jhandir. He named the research center and made it the largest private library in
Pakistan. This is a great example of the book Friendship of People Belonging to
the Landlord's sector. In our country, the concept of land, factories, palaces,
vehicles, and bank balance is generally inherited.
 |
| Guide map |
Layout of the Library:
The library is surrounded by a
beautiful park of five acres. In which beautiful waterfalls, fountains,
beautiful decorative and ornamental plants provide a very attractive
environment to the visitors. The new library complex was completed in the year
2007 and covers an area of 21 thousand square feet. The library includes:-
- Eight spacious halls
- Auditorium
- Multimedia workstation
- Committee room
- Hostel
We were very well received and given
a full briefing and had tour of the
entire library. We also took many pictures. Inside the library, the images of
the founding figures are displayed. There are also handwritten copies of the
Holy Quran and the briefing individual was enthusiastically showing the colored
copies of the Holy Quran. The library also has hundreds of thousands of books,
rare manuscripts of the Holy Quran and antiques used in the old times, and a
beautiful chandelier in the center of the building. The chandelier adds beauty to
the layout of the library. Hundreds of researchers
get research material from here every year. DDC (Dewey Decimal Classification)
system is used here for sorting books. Every year, hundreds of domestic and
foreign intellectuals, teachers and students of schools, colleges, and
universities, Literary and other famous personalities visit this library. On
the occasion of August 14, 2014, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar
awarded the Civil Presidential Medal of Distinction to Mian Ghulam Ahmad Jhandir,
the manager of the library, for collecting and preserving historical,
religious, cultural and literary books of national heritage. Numerous national
and international thesis have been written on this library. In 2017, famous
Pakistani jurist SM Zafar(late) donated several books from his personal library
to this library.
 |
| With the Principal of Law College |
Conclusion:
Maintaining private libraries is a
tradition that dates back centuries, and it has evolved over time to reflect
changes in technology, social norms, and individual priorities. Private
libraries are collections of books and other reading materials that are owned
by individuals or families rather than public institutions. A poet Rashid
Usmani has written a beautiful poem to pay tribute to Jhandir library. After visit, our group left
for Mailsi Siphon and Lal Sahanra Park
near Bahawalpur. Even after almost 7 years, the smell of library books is fresh
in the window of memory. I wish that the Administration of the Library make a
good website and provide details of books and other antiques for Public
information and motivation.
10 Comments