Hyderabad’s Nizam-era library to get a facelift; Urdu books to be digitalized

Hyderabad: The State Central Library at Afzalgunj, commonly known as State Library or Central Library, is all set to receive a new lease of life. It is one of the oldest libraries of Hyderabad. The Library which flourished alongside many iconic Nizam-era monuments on the banks of river Musi has been reeling under times of neglect.

The Telangana IT department has built a digital portal where about 45,550 rare books, including Urdu, Persian, and Arabic as well as English. The portal will now be hosted for researchers and bibliophiles across the world to access for a nominal fee. The Indian Express reported.

Meanwhile, the state’s heritage department has completed a structural examination of the library. A proposal and budgetary estimate has been proposed for taking up its immediate restoration in the future. The government has also approved the proposal of a Noida-based non-profit organisation to scan page-by-page all Urdu books and periodicals for their digital preservation.

The library was originally established by Syed Hussain Bilgrami as Kutub Khana Asifia (house of books of the Asifia dynasty) at Abids in 1891. He was a noted educationist and a civil servant in the Nizam’s court. In 1936 to mark the silver jubilee of seventh Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, the library was moved to its present campus in Afzalgunj.

The Rekhta Foundation has been given the approval to take up digitization of the Urdu books and periodicals, which will be added to the digital portal after receiving permission from authors.

The five-storied rare books section called ‘paanch manzil’ behind the imposing facade also needs immediate attention.

M Alivelu, the ex-chief librarian of the State Central Library revealed an interesting fact that an aerial view of the main building resembles an open book.