Dwindling readership | Mangaluru's 36-year-old iconic ‘Standard Library’ shuts down

Harsha Raj Gatty
December 31, 2018

After 36 years of service, Mangaluru’s one of the popular private libraries has turned over its last leaf in pages of its glorious history. The 'Standard Library', once one of the most popular destinations for avid readers with over 17,000 books, is stopping operations today (December 31, 2018) as it faces acute problems of dipping readership along with soaring maintenance.

For its 70-year old bibliophile owner Victor Alvares, it was dream venture to have his own library. "Even as I used to work at an auto-shop back in the early 70's, I loved to read anything that interested me. I was a member of city's first library 'Popular Library' (now closed) run by Late Lawrence Mascarenhas since 1970 at Hampankatta in the city and spend hours together to read. At the same time, I was simply amazed that one could make a living by lending books," he says.

In a chance conversation with Abraham Soans the owner of 'Hamsons library', Victor realised that the former wanted to sell his 10-year old business along with the books and memberships. "I felt this was destiny's calling, to pursuit something that interested me a lot. My offer to purchase was met with positive outcome and I became the new owner of the library, which then I renamed it as 'Standard Library'," he says.

While prior to the takeover there were about 200 books and few hundred members, with his due diligence, Victor says he increased the books to over 17,000 fiction, non-fiction, comic books and close to 1,200 readers. "We actually have more books and people than the registered numbers, but it is just that we don't take account of newspapers and magazines. Whereas the membership is transferable, so based on one card the family and friends can procure books. Also, when a member leaves we allot his number to the new member, so we don't have an exact log of how many readers have been with us over the years," he says.

Though initially a borrower was charged 10% of the actual cost of the book, as the price of the book rose, the renting charge was standardised to Rs. 25 for 1 week, alongside refundable deposit of Rs 400 for newer and costlier books.

About 15-years ago, roughly about 50 people used to beeline at the lending counter or bookcases at the Standard Library at any given time and there was no room to sit. Despite the existence of government libraries that were offering books for free, what kept the private libraries in relevance was that they regularly updated stock of new book releases based on popular demand.

Alvares recollects that especially during vacations when the children used to flock in large number to fumble through the latest editions of Tinkle or Panchatantra comics, some older ones subscribing to novels by Agatha Christie, Jeffrey Archers, Sidney Sheldon or in search of characters such as Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Archie's, Sherlock Holmes and so on. Besides there were regular readers for English, Kannada and Konkani, literature, romance and fiction pieces, along with generic contents like palmistry, self-help, travel, religious, mythology, Ayurveda, cookery, crafts and hobbies.

"But now barely we see one person each day. There are times when I am all by myself in the library," he says. Both young and old, engrossed by technology and other forms of entertainment, they are less enthused about books now, he says. "Now people have television, computer, smart phones, tabs which have taken over people's interest. There are no longer serious readers, only to pass their time people sometime flick the pages of the book I have seen," he says.

It not just the story of one private library that is heading towards closure; several others have shut down in Mangaluru over the period of time mostly citing economic reasons.

Since mid 2000’s private libraries like Popular (Hampankatta), Nandan, New Era Library have succumbed to the online readers and 'Kindle' readership era one after the other. Whereas few other survivors like Accolades Library admit that they had to take alternative routes to sustain their business. "Firstly, we are keeping our library lending only during the weekend, moreover we have supplemented our business by conducting classes on public speaking course where we encourage people to read books and improve their vocabulary and command over the language," proprietor of Accolades Library, Krishnaprasad Adappa said. He adds that in the present era only the government libraries and those attached to organisations may sustain given study flow of finance for books and staff maintenance.

On the other hand co-owner of Readers Delight Wilma Fernandes says that despite the digital transition, people do come back for reading. "It’s just the matter of doing through market research and getting the relevant books on your desk. We have sustained despite the changing time and though the readership is not like the earlier times, we still hope to continue," she says.

Meanwhile, Victor reaffirms that post December 31, he will no longer continue the business especially in the backdrop of the mounting bills of maintaining the library. "I have already started selling second hand books to buyers or souvenir collectors, in couple of months, I plan to dispose the entire lot. Post this I plan to take on travelling" he says.

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News Network
March 17,2024

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Bengaluru: The Vokkaliga heartland of the old Mysuru region consisting of several southern districts will be the testing ground for the recently forged BJP-JD(S) alliance in Karnataka in the Lok Sabha polls.

The ruling Congress will now look to consolidate its gains that it made in the assembly elections in May last year when it made inroads into the strongholds of the regional party headed by former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda in these districts.

In the 2019 Pariamentary elections, the Congress and JD(S) fought together but secured only one seat each in the state. The BJP bagged 25 out of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats.

The Congress and JD(S) win, in fact, came in the old Mysuru region -- Bangalore Rural and Hassan, respectively, while Mandya seat went to an independent backed by the BJP.

This time, the JD(S) has an alliance with BJP. According to sources, the JD(S) is likely to be alloted Hassan, Mandya and Kolar seats in the region, from where Deve Gowda's party draws its strength from in Karnataka.

The JD(S) is now looking to bounce back after the drubbing it received in the May assembly polls.

The Congress and JD(S) are considered to be traditional rivals in the region, where the BJP has also been improving its vote-share.

The BJP-JD(S) alliance hopes to counter the Congress' surge in the region, determined to consolidate Vokkaliga votes in their favour and banking on the Modi charisma. Both parties also hope to gain from each other with this alliance.

The Congress is hoping to further its prospects and continue its dominance in the region, with the help of its strong local leadership and riding on its five guarantee schemes.

Both Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Congress state President D K Shivakumar, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister come from this region, and so does JD(S) patriarch Deve Gowda and his son H D Kumaraswamy, a former CM and that party's state President.

According to a political analyst, 'coordination among local leaders and transfer of votes between the parties are going to be key for the BJP-JD(S) alliance to click.' Lack of trust between sizeable workers and leaders of both parties on the ground had proved to be counterproductive for Congress and JD(S) combine in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, resulting in their rout and helping the BJP.

Both Congress and BJP have announced candidates for some seats in the region for the 2024 polls.

The Congress has re-nominated D K Suresh, brother of Shivakumar, from Bangalore Rural.

Interestingly, the BJP has fielded the scion of the erstwhile Mysuru royal family Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar from Mysore and noted cardiac surgeon and Deve Gowda's son-in-law, Dr C N Manjunath, from Bangalore Rural.

In Karnataka, the Lok Sabha elections will be held in two phases on April 26 and May 7.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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At least seven people have been killed when Israeli warplanes bombed an emergency center in southern Lebanon near the border with the 1948 Israeli-occupied territories with air-to-surface missiles, according to Lebanese security sources.

Two sources, speaking on condition of anonymity said early on Wednesday that the strike targeted the Islamic Group’s emergency and relief center in Lebanon’s southern village of Habbariyeh.

Jamaa Islamiya, a Lebanese group closely linked to the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement Hamas, said in a statement that “a number” of people had been killed, and called the strike a “heinous crime.”

An official from the group said “seven rescuers” were killed in the aerial assault.

Another Jamaa Islamiya official, also requesting anonymity, said a dozen medical staff were in the emergency center at the time of the strike, adding that bodies were being pulled from the rubble.

Lebanese lawmaker Hassan Mrad said “the Israeli aggression on Habbariyeh adds to the long list of Israeli crimes.”

Israel has been launching air strikes against Lebanon since the beginning of its onslaught against the Gaza Strip in early October.

An Israeli strike knocked down part of a building in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh on February 14, killing seven members of the same family, including a child, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said. A boy initially reported missing was found alive under the rubble.

In a separate Israeli attack, a woman and her two children were killed in the village of as-Sawana in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli regime launched its devastating hostilities in the Gaza Strip on October 7 after the territory’s Hamas-led Palestinian resistance groups carried out a surprise retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.

Israel's raids have resulted in retaliatory strikes from Hezbollah in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

The movement has vowed to keep up its retaliatory operations as long as the Tel Aviv regime continues its onslaught on Gaza.

The Israeli campaign in Gaza has killed at least 32,414 people, most of them women and children. Another 74,787 individuals have also been wounded.

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News Network
March 28,2024

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Mangaluru, Mar 28: A fish meal factory in the Baikampady Industrial area in Mangaluru was gutted in a fire incident on Thursday, officials said.

The factory is owned by the company 'Shihar Enterprises', they said.

According to the locals, the fire was first noticed at 4.45 am today, which was immediately reported to the fire department.

The fire engines reached the spot and tried to douse the fire, but it had already spread to other parts of the factory. After almost four hours of fire-fighting operation, the blaze was completely doused, officials.

The reason for the blaze is still being probed, the fire department officials said, adding that they suspect an electric short circuit could have triggered it.

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