The century-old Chaitanya Library, one of the finest libraries in the city will be restored soon.
The Calcutta Heritage Collective has taken up the project to restore and revive the heritage library. A musical show was organised at a star hotel on 12 January. Dedicated to the restoration, revival, and reuse of Kolkata’s built heritage, the Collective unites thought leaders, students, senior citizens, professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, heritage experts, developers and concerned citizens, all bound by a shared passion for preserving the city’s rich history.
The Chaitanya Project aims to restore the 135-year-old Chaitanya Library to its former glory. Established in 1889 by intellectual stalwarts such as Gaur Hari Sen, Kunj Behari Datta and Rabindranath Tagore, the library houses over 150,000 rare books and journals, including invaluable works on Indian history, philosophy and culture. However, decades of neglect have left it in urgent need of restoration and digitisation to preserve its priceless collection for future generations.
The Calcutta Heritage Collective’s initiative will involve the restoration of the building, the conservation of its invaluable resources and the digitisation of its rare publications. Ayan Sen, a member and a leading national heritage conservation architect, offered to assist in the restoration process. His plans include provisions for potential adaptive reuse to ensure the entity’s future self-sustainability. These efforts aim to make the library’s collection accessible to a global audience while preserving its physical legacy.
The star attraction of the musical evening was Bickram Ghosh, who enthralled the audience with an exclusive live concert celebrating 25 years of fusion music.
The library houses over 1 lakh books and 25,000 journals. Speaking about his participation, Bickram Ghosh shared, “I am deeply passionate about the incredible work this organisation is doing to preserve Kolkata’s rich heritage. My performance offered a preview of our upcoming album, Rhythmscape 2.0. The concert featured pieces from the original album as well as new compositions. It was a privilege to share the stage with the legendary Shuvaprasanna and I invite everyone to support this noble cause and celebrate the cultural legacy of our beloved city.”
Mukul Agarwal, founder trustee of Calcutta Heritage Collective, remarked: “The Chaitanya Library stands as a symbol of Kolkata’s intellectual and cultural legacy. The challenge of restoring the past glory of Chaitanya Library is daunting, both by way of restoring the large collection of its rare books and to restore the building. Calcutta Heritage collective has taken up the challenge to re-establish it as a hub for education and culture, making it a centre of learning and inspiration for generations to come.”
Kolkata became a city of libraries during the British period. The Imperial Library which later came to be known as the National Library was set up here. Though the capital was shifted to Delhi, the National Library was not transferred. Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Rammohan Library and Chaitanya Library had played a major role in the intellectual movement in the city.
However, with the passage of time, the number of readers dwindled, reaching to the virtual close of the library.