"It’s one of the few institutions which lives up to its name…free…But sustainability of such an institution can be most challenging… It either needs a large endowment or a steady stream of financial support annually,” Noshir Dadrawala, trustee of The People’s Free Reading Room and Library told Parsiana on December 23, 2021. He emphasized the uniqueness of its "history, antiquity, size and location,” surrounded by a number of affordable eateries.
The Library, housed in the Framjee Cawasjee Institute (FCI) in Dhobi Talao needs financial assistance to "prevent it from downing shutters.” Among the oldest libraries in the city, its trustees have appealed for the public’s financial support to the tune of Rs 60 lakhs, noted The Indian Express (IE) of December 10. Funds are needed for hiring additional staff as well as to pay salaries for existing staff, among other things, stated the news report. "People now want to read electronic magazines and newspapers. If we get a substantial donation, we could start with that,” managing trustee Harsha Parekh said.
The Library offers free membership for access to its collection of 18,000 books. Parekh was quoted in IE as stating, "As a free library, we are not allowed to take fees from members. The corpus is very small.” The facility includes a "students’ corner,” for which visitors pay a monthly fee. During the examination season in the pre-pandemic years, it was common to see a packed reading hall. This facility has reportedly suffered a setback since the pandemic began, with "no new memberships on record during this period, with most education services going virtual.” The Library has at present 300 members and 200 student members, noted IE.
Above left: pre-Covid photo of students at The People’s Free Reading Room and Library;
above right: busts of Ardeshir Moos (l) and Nowrozjie Furdoonjee; ornate bookcase
Parekh is also chairperson of The Bombay Community Public Trust, which supported the Library from 2018 to 2020. In 2018, the trustees issued an appeal for donations amounting to Rs 1.2 crore. Parekh told IE they received about Rs 40 lakh, which has been used to catalog books and renovate the facility. Their collection was trimmed from 75,000 to 18,000 by removing "tattered books.”
A public appeal by trustee, author and poet Jerry Pinto stated, "Students have often told me about how they have no place to study because work is happening at home or someone refuses to turn off the television…This is a place where every day 200 to 300 students come and study. They get a place of quiet and peace where they can actually think and work. But like all institutions we are running a tight ship, where we are coming close to the point at which we will run out of money to pay salaries.” Emphasizing the need for parents to encourage the reading habit, Pinto told the newspaper: "It is good for children to know that they can enjoy a book without owning it.”
The Library was established in 1891 by businessman Damodardas Sukhadwala. Over the years, it grew and merged with other similar facilities like the Students’ Dyanaprasarak Library, Bombay Native General Library and N. M. Wadia General Library. Operating from the Fort in its early years, a second branch opened in 1925 at the FCI. In 2000, the Fort building caught fire and the collection was shifted permanently to the FCI, noted IE.
Donations to The People’s Free Reading Room and Library qualify for exemption under section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. F. J.