Mysuru 'libraryman' dejected as government fails to keep promise to construct building

Mysuru: Syed Isaak, 63, a resident of Rajivnagar here, who made news in April this year, after his private library containing hundreds of books was burnt down, is still waiting for the government to keep its promise to build a building to house his library. An IT professional started a fund-raiser through Ketto and Milaap and raised Rs 29 lakh for Isaak to build a new library.

Isaak, a daily-wage worker, had run the library in a make-shift shed in Rajiv Nagar with a passion to spread reading habit. On April 8, Isaak's carefully built library was gutted mysteriously. His fondness for Kannada prompted him to open the library to serve book lovers.

Isaak would open his library in the morning and would close it at 7 pm. His library attracted hundreds of book lovers as Isaak bought at least 20 newspapers daily from his meagre earnings. Every year he celebrated Kannada Rajyotsava on November 1 in a festival spirit. The news of the library being reduced to ashes made headlines in the media and many people and organisations from across the country and abroad came forward to help him reconstruct his library.

Seeing the huge response from the people, the Mysuru Urban Development Authority officials provided a site to construct a library building. Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) even announced Rs 35 lakh assistance for the pupose.

Speaking to The Hans India on Tuesday, Isaak expressed anguish over authorities' unkept promise. He said he received hundreds of books from the Gulf, USA, Austalia and European countries but there is no space to keep them safe as he lives in a 15x20 feet room.

Political Science department head of Mysuru University, Muzzafar Assadi has collect 5,000 plus books from all over the country through crowd funding. His chamber is filled and is running out of space as books are pouring in.

When contacted, district library department deputy director B Manjunath said that they would provide the necessary furniture if civic authorities have constructed a building. He said the then DC and Mysuru City Corporation commissioner who had promised to construct a library building were transferred. Now MUDA authorities say they can provide land but cannot construct a building. MCC authorities are also not responding to Isaak's plea.

The money collected by the Infosys techie was returned to donors after the government came forward to take the responsibility of providing a new building to Isaak.