The library’s contemplative isolation is a balm to today’s loneliness Updated: Updated: December 20, 2020 08:52 IST It allows one to retreat into forms of knowledge only to emerge wiser, more prepared and more informed. And all this, surrounded by others seeking similar respite Share Article Photo: Getty Images/ iStock
It allows one to retreat into forms of knowledge only to emerge wiser, more prepared and more informed. And all this, surrounded by others seeking similar respite Let me share with you a secret that you as readers probably already know. Books have saved us. In these past few weeks, amid much talk of structures that will symbolise a new India, my thoughts have turned instead to the institutions that were to me the fondest symbol of an old India — libraries. Worry not, however; this column will not be a lament of the liberal performing nostalgia and righteousness in equal measure via some imagined disappearance. For libraries still exist, as do library builders.