How Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid Memorial Library is keeping reading culture alive in rural Tarn Taran
Harvinder Kaur
Tarn Taran, April 14, 2024: Adda Bazaar which leads to historical Gurudwara Sri Darbar Sahib, is one the oldest and busiest markets of Tarn Taran city. The market draws customers not only from the city but also from over 190 villages in the district throughout the day.
Amid this bustling market, lies a memorial library of Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid (1881-1936), a Vaid, writer, collector of books, and social reformer but the 32-year-old Memorial Library is the most unnoticed point of Adda Bazaar.
Although school or college-going students barely visit this library and many do not even know of its existence, this library has been a prominent source of a wide range of books for avid readers and writers of rural Taran Taran.
67-year-old Didar Singh (retired from PSPCL) and now the caretaker of the library informed that at present the library has around 770 members which are mostly from adjoining villages in Tarn Taran.
As per the record, the library currently has members from 43 villages in the district including Kazikot, Lal Dhur, Sabhanpur, Rataul, Piddi, Mattewal, and others.
"Book lovers in village areas lack the facility of the library so a lot of our visitors are from the rural areas," shared Didar Singh.
Singh informed that although he frequently visits the city's school, the response has not been as good in the rural belt," he added.
He informed that last week, a group of 25 students and three teachers of Baba Basta Singh High School of Rasulpur village, visited the library and expressed keen interest in becoming the members of the library and getting books issued.
"I have asked the principal of the Baba Basta Singh High School to urge teachers to become members of this library. This will further encourage students to visit the library and inculcate reading habits," he added.
Caretakers Didar Singh and Jaswinder Singh
Retired teacher Jaswinder Singh, also a caretaker who has been associated with the library for the past 15 years shared that there are over 8000 books including biographies of popular figures, Sikh historians, religious texts, and books of popular authors including Bhagat Puran Singh, Raghbir Singh Bir, Sohan Singh Sheetal, Bhai Veer Singh, Sant Sewa Singh Rampur. The library also has a section for English books which are not so popular among the readers in the region.
"Efforts should be made to connect more people"
Doburji village-based Kanwaljeet Kaur who frequently visits the library said that there is a need to do more to preserve this library. Kaur who works as a District Statistical Assistant in the Civil Surgeon Office, Tarn Taran said that there is a need to preserve and upgrade this library.
"There are many youngsters in the villages who want to read great works but do not have resources. Many students who go to government schools come from humble backgrounds. Such libraries can help them to develop reading habits and also help them to grow personally and professionally. There should be better seating arrangements, especially for girls and the library should be expanded. We should connect our youngsters with book-reading culture," she said.
About Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid and Memorial Library
Born at Tarn Taran on 7 March 1881, Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid (1881–1936) was a writer, apothecary, book collector, and social reformer.
He was the youngest of four sons of Bhai Jaimal Singh (1843–1919), a longstanding vaid (practitioner of Ayurveda or Indian system of medicine). After receiving his initial education in the Gurmukhi Vidyalaya at Tarn Taran, Mohan Singh did not pursue a formal education.
He however studied Sikh history and religion books at home and studied Ayurveda with his father before learning it from Pandit Jai Dial and Sant Ishar Singh.
Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid wrote about 200 tracts and books on a variety of subjects, including politics, economics, psychology, social reform, medicine, and health care. In addition to penning numerous novels, stories, essays, and plays, he also translated or adapted several Western classics.
A lot of his collection of books, magazines, pamphlets, and newspapers has since been donated by his descendants to Punjabi University, Patiala, and it constitutes a rare bibliographical resource in Northern India.
Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid passed away on 3 October 1936 at Tarn Taran.Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid Memorial Library was established by Bhai Mohan Singh's son Sukhvir Singh in 1992 in a two-room space donated by a local trust.
This memorial library is now being looked after by Bhai Mohan Singh Vaid's granddaughter Surinder Kaur Narula (Retired Doctor) based in the UK.