Navsari Library’s annexe

The Sir Dorabji Tata Trust Annexe, a four-storied building for the First Dastoor Meherjirana Library at Navsari was inaugurated by Dastur Meherji Kekobad Meherjirana by unveiling a plaque there on September 26, 2009. Dastur (Dr) Firoze M. Kotwal undid the ribbon at the entrance which faces the old Library, noted a write-up by chairperson Katy K. Antia who delivered the welcome address.

The road level room in the new building will be used as a storeroom, while the reading room is on the first floor. An air-conditioned conference room is housed on the second floor, the third floor accommodates three guest rooms and the fourth floor contains the conservation and preservation laboratory, community historian Marzban Giara informed Parsiana via e-mail. The new annexe is the result of the "foresight of the trustees, local managing committee and the librarian” who had envisioned these improvements a number of years back, Antia mentions. The main obstacle, lack of funds, was overcome when Sarosh Batliwala, former director of Sir Dorab Tata Trust (SDTT) sanctioned the amount for constructing the building and its facilities, Antia’s write-up says. Giara mentions that the SDTT donated a munificent Rs 90 lakhs for the project.

The new Annexe will serve the needs of students from Navsari as well as "scholars who come from all over the world” to study Zoroastrianism. In the last four years 36 foreign scholars visited the Library from France, the UK, USA, Germany and Japan, according to Antia. The conference room can also be let out on rent to other organizations. Foreign scholars will be housed in the guest rooms upstairs, she writes.

The First Dastoor Meherjirana Library was founded in 1872 in memory of that high priest (1510-1591) who had been to Emperor Akbar’s court in 1578-79. Seth Burjorji Bomanji Padam had a building constructed on his land and the Meherjirana Library was started with a fund of Rs 225, Giara outlines its history. A trust deed was made in 1894. From the outset, the Library has been open to members of all communities. In 1906 Jamshedji Kavasji Dastoor Meherjirana donated the present building and in 1967 an additional hall was built by Seth Rustomji Hormusji Kolah. The Library contains 45,000 books, subscribes to about 50 national and international magazines and a dozen daily and weekly newspapers, Giara adds. Its reference department houses all the volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica, nine volumes of Bhagvad Gomandal, all the 24 volumes of Gujarati Vishvakosh and about 45 dictionaries of the Gujarati, English, Hindi, Avesta, Pahlavi, Sanskrit and German languages.

Of the 300 persons who attended the inauguration, over 50 had come from outside Navsari, a number of them from Bombay. The reading room of the annexe was the venue for the program which was relayed with sound to four different halls. Meherjirana blessed the building and led the congregation in prayer before speaking about the origins of the Library. Antia writes that Meher­jirana informed those present that in addition to the SDTT’s help, the Pirojsha Godrej Foundation provided furnishing for the premises, while the F. E. Dinshaw Trust keeps donating for the preservation of manuscripts.

Kotwal spoke of "the influence that the Library has had on research on the Zoroastrian religion and the importance of manuscripts handwritten by our forefathers in the 18th century in languages like Pazand, Pahlavi, Avesta and Persian.” This legacy needs to be conserved and preserved, a task which is undertaken with help from the Indian National Trust of Art, Culture and Heritage (INTACH), Lucknow. He urged that manuscripts be donated to libraries where they can be preserved. Kotwal appreciated the diligent work by librarian Bharti K. Gandhi who extends help to each and every visiting research scholar. Kotwal presented her with a cheque of Rs 25,000 from the Athravan Education Trust in appreciation of her three decades of dedication.

Giara writes, "In 2000-2001 a project was initiated to save nearly 550 invaluable manuscripts by microfilming them. Dr Shernaz Cama, director of PARZOR project and her father, Padma Bhushan Lt Gen Adi Sethna played a major role” in arranging this. Nearly two lakh rupees were received from them, while Delhi based author Piloo Jungalwalla donated six lakhs for the purchase of a microfiche reader. The M. K. Tata Trust donated Rs 55,000 for an air-conditioned cabin and SDTT donated Rs 1.5 lakh for purchasing a computer and photocopying machine. Five lakhs were received from SDTT, M. K. Tata Trust and K. B. Doctor Trust to preserve the manuscripts.

As per Giara’s e-mail, at the inauguration Ervad (Dr) Rooyintan Peer stated, "This library is well known nationally and internationally just like the K. R. Cama Oriental Institute in Bombay. Navsari has been recognized as the center of culture and education.... (It) was also the pioneer of female education. Bai Navajbai Tata Girls’ School was started in Navsari in 1859.”

Trustees Zenobia T. Pestonjamas, Veera F. Choksey along with Minoo Suraliwala, a local managing committee member felicitated the guests, presenting them with shawls. Also honored were members of the staff who had put in much effort to make the function a success, mentions Antia. The show was compered by Prof Ketayun E. Karkaria, a local managing committee member. The meeting was followed by an entertainment program by students of the Navajbai Tata Girls’ High School who presented folk dances and a Parsi garbo guided by principal Hutoxi Jamadar and choreographed by Wahbiz Billimoria. A kathak dance was presented by Mruga Vora of Nupur Academy of Kathak, Surat. When the lights came on both the buildings were transformed into a fairyland, according to Antia

The first Dastoor Meherjirana Library, located at Tarota Bazaar, Navsari 396445, is open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m, except on Mondays, when it is closed. Tel: 02637-245847; e-mail: meherjirana_lib@yahoo.com