I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library: Jorge Luis Borges
A library, as we know, is a powerhouse of knowledge and ideas. The Maulana Azad Library of AMU in Aligarh is not just that; it is also a springhead of inspiration, hope, liveliness, wisdom, secularism and many other intangible things. Knowledge seems to trickle down from the walls of the library. I experienced this as a PhD research scholar at the Department of English, AMU.
I visited AMU for the first time in October 2014. The only purpose of the visit was to appear for PhD entrance exam (English). I reached AMU campus at around 3PM by train. I was received by Mudasir Irfan who was pursuing PhD in the Department of Botany. He took me to his room in the famous Sir Zia Uddin Hall. On reaching his room, I took a shower and slept for some time to ease out the weariness of the long journey from home to Aligarh. When I awoke, it was evening. Mudasir took me outside for a cup of tea. I enjoyed the tea in the company of Mudasir and his other fellow scholars, the scholars full of passion and ideas.
After finishing tea, Mudasir and I decided to visit the Maulana Azad Library. As we reached the front gate of the library, I was mesmerised at the sight of a swarm of scholars. On stepping inside, we entered the Research Division (RD). I sensed calm and discipline emanating from the walls as well as from the poised faces of the scholars. All the scholars were engrossed in their research. I was quite impressed and prayed to God for my selection in the university, so that I could get a chance to sit in the library and read books and scholarly articles. The next day, I appeared in the entrance exam. On the completion of the examination, I started exploring the campus and was hugely impressed by everything I came across. Everything I looked upon seemed so blessed and so blissful.
After the entrance exam, the university declared the results and I was shortlisted and called for interview. I faced the interview with full preparation and confidence. After some days, the final selection list came out and I was selected as a research scholar. After completing the admission formalities, the actual research journey started. I selected the research topic, submitted the synopsis, and was put under the supervision of Prof Rashmi Attri, under whose tutelage I have learned a lot many things.
To continue the research journey, like other scholars of the university, I would sit in the library from morning till late evening, with intermittent gaps to have a cup of tea outside in order to shake off the ennui and relax the mind.
Maulana Azad Library is the largest university library in Asia. It has seven large and spacious storeys. It was established in 1877 as Lytton Library and in 1960 it was formally inaugurated and renamed as Maulana Azad Library, after the first Education Minster of India, Abul Kalam Azad. The library is a storehouse and reservoir of books, journals, manuscripts, etc. You can find books and journals on every subject. Besides this, the scholarly dissertations are in a separate compartment. There are separate reading rooms for research scholars and undergraduates and others. The reading culture in the library is inspiring and makes reading all the more interesting. I was quite inspired to see retired professors always engrossed in reading books in the library. Seeing the retired professors and other teachers so passionate about gaining new knowledge and reading new books, motivated me to sit for a long time in the library and read books. The staff of the library is cooperative and friendly. The staff is always on toes to help students in every which way.
I am indebted to Maulana Azad Library for many things. It has enhanced my interest in books. My love for books started when I for the first time entered the well-equipped and enlightening Research Division of the library in 2014 to start my research work. It was love at first sight. As I saw the stacks and stacks of books related to every discipline, I was impressed beyond measure. That very experience enhanced my interest in books. Maulana Azad Library has nurtured my mind with its reading culture and friendly environment. The silence and discipline pervading there has taught me how to remain focused on studies. The blessed walls of the library have given scholarly succour to my dull mind. The walls I would love to kiss with kindness!

The writer is a research scholar at the Department of English, AMU. He has qualified UGC NET and JKSET for Assistant Professorship. He can be mailed at [email protected]

Bilal Ahmad Dar