KOLKATA: Tucked in an alley at Kidderpore, the century-old Hemchandra Library stands the test of time. Named after acclaimed Bengali poet and author Hemchandra Bandopadhay, till today, a bibliophile can enjoy reading books at this library at just Rs 5 for a month.
On Thursday, the members of Hemchandra Library celebrated its 117th foundation day. To make the day even more special, a book,
titled ‘Bohu Drishtite Hemchandra’ was launched in
the presence of retired Justice Asok Kumar Ganguly, Bangiya Sahitya Parishat’s president Barinbaran Ghosh, and editor of the book Prof Barun Chakraborty.
For Ghosh, the newly-launched book is a treasure trove of knowledge for anyone interested to know about Hemchandra Bandopadhyay. “It’s unfortunate that most of us have limited knowledge on one of the stalwarts of Bengali literature, Hemchandra Bandopadhyay. He might be a forgotten poet of Bengal now, but I am sure this book will create awareness and act as a source of constant inspiration and education for generations of readers,” said Ghosh.
Though Hemchandra was born in Hooghly's Gulita, from the age of nine, the famed poet lived in Khidirpur. Four years after his death on March 9, 1907, this library was established. At that time, there were few books. But today, the library houses more than 20,000 books of varied interests. “A section dedicated to Hemchandra Bandopadhyay is also there at the library. The house of the poet in Khidirpur is in dilapidated condition and we had approached the government to restore it,” said
Pradip Kumar Ghosh of Hemchandra Library.