History relived at the Mumbai university

As the university threw open the gates of its library for the public on Saturday, the layman got a rare opportunity to flip through the priceless collection that dates back to the 15th century. Apart from the architecturally stupendous precincts of the library, a notable landmark of Mumbai — the Rajabai Tower — what really hits you is that the bibliotheque has managed to retain its old world charm. As a student put it: “Except for the regular chimes of the clock tower, one does not feel the mad pace in which the world is moving inside the library, which houses around eight lakh books and journals.”

Few know that the famous Anil Kapoor-Manisha Koirala song sequence `Rooth na jana tum se kahoon to’ from the film 1942 — A Love Story was filmed in this very library, where practically everything is of antique value, including the lampshades, the stylish wooden furniture and even the staircase. And then of course, there are the books.

In keeping with the ambience of the place, the absorbing Samuel T Shepherd book, Street Names of Bombay underlines the history behind the names of all the important roads and inroads that existed in the Bombay of 1917.

Most of these names have been Indianised by now. The original works of Babasaheb Ambedkar and Rabindranath Tagore also find a place here, along with the wooden ink pen used by Marathi poet Moropant. And then there is also a travelogue in Latin with a map, the oldest in the collection, which was published in 1490.

But the visual treat was mainly toasted by the academicians, due to the lack of adequate public advertisements, reasoned Vice-Chancellor of Mumbai University Snehalata Deshmukh. Nonetheless, looking at the enthusiasm of those who ventured in, Deshmukh plans to mark the `Open Day’ an annual event. “In fact, in another three months we are planning to host a similar show,” she said.

The library also flaunts one of the smallest books in the world, dated 1341 AD titled Sad-wa-yak, a Zorastrian book sized 1.5 X 0.25 inches; the first book published in Mumbai in 1793 entitled Remarks and Occurrences by Becher Henry; the oldest travelogue in Marathi by Govind Babaji Joshi, published in 1896 and one of the oldest Indian map dated 1758, drawn by the noted geologist James Rennell. Then there is also the thesis and biography of the first Indian woman graduate in medicine, Anandibai Joshi. Queen Victoria had congratulated Joshi on being the first Hindu woman to have received a degree in medicine.

The oldest palm leaf manuscript in Devnagri script by poet Nagadeva in 1235 AD, and a Ramayana in Persian during the reign of Emperor Jehangir also adorn the library. Truly ,a living monument, as an educationist said of the Rajabai Tower Library.