Libraries are an asset of every nation. They are the treasures that should be guarded and cherished for generations to come. Libraries are now hardly seen in Pakistan, as the youth seems to be far away from book reading and internet comes to rule the era. Still some libraries are still left in Karachi that were established by our elders in an attempt to preserve the sanctity of literary enclaves.
Sharfabad Bedil Library is one such treasure trove hidden away in the busy centre of Karachi from the eyes of the youth. The library is an asset for the Urdu researchers, readers and enthusiasts. The library was created in 1974 by Dr Mohammad Zafeer-ul-Hassan Azeemabadi. The library constitutes of books ranging from rare books and journals to contemporary publications and newspaper archives. The library has been named after the famous poet Mirza Abdul Qadir Bedil, who was a major influence on the poets of his era, such as Ghalib and Iqbal, through his effect on Rekhta.
Colleagues and friends of Dr Azeemabadi contributed about 300 books and journals which gradually increased to a collection of over a hundred thousand. The library can be accessed at the second floor of the Sharfabad’s community centre. Mohammad Zubair is now in-charge of the library who has meticulously catalogued every entry by hand and is essentially the human cataloguing system for the collection. Any request for a book by title, author or journal number will have Zubair Sahab whisking into the resource room to bring you the text within minutes.
The library consists of three rooms in the main reading section. The modestly sized entrance and reading room with plenty of natural light and breeze has shelves along its walls and a large working table at its far end. This room holds books from individual personal collections as well as a cupboard dedicated to Indian publications in Urdu. The second and larger resource room stores the remaining collection which includes journals and rare books. The third inner room serves as a storage space for newspaper archives. The earlier dated ones have been bound and the remaining await cataloging.
The library is open from 4 till 7PM. A steady stream of visitors is observed at the library every day during these limited hours. Efforts are in progress to update the library in terms of facilities.