City Libraries – Taimuria Library

Another day. Another heartbreak. Libraries in Karachi break your heart. Taimuria Library is not supposed to since it is quite well maintained. But it does. It does despite it being well managed and well frequented because it lacks the purpose and exuberance that you would attach with such places of learning. Or is it the hopeless romantic in me?

People tell me that at the time of expansion, North Nazimabad was branded as Taimuria. It never got masses’ approval. Taimuria Library is perhaps the only remnant of that folly. It is on the corner of Sharah-e-Sher Shah Suri and Sharah-e-Jahangir. There is Shahrah-e-Noor Jehan and Sharah-e-Humayun nearby too but the honor of having the most important road named after remains with Sher Shah Suri.

We arrive at the library early by Karachi standards. At 12 o clock. The library was built in 80s and has hence does not rely on air-conditioning. There are lots of windows and the place is well lit. The library has 3 main sections on ground and we find it full of students. On the left is archival section with newspapers dating back to early 80s. We find some people reading newspaper there. Another running his business on laptop and phone. No body seem to mind it. There is a women section on 1st floor which I am not allowed to go but I hear that it has an archival section also. I wander around the remaining two halls where I find students busy finishing their class work. They take a break and we strike a conversation. They are from near by colleges and find the library a convenient place to gather and work. The other hall contains law books but the most of the people are oblivious to the distinction. I hear that the place has been used for hosting cultural events also but they have been far and less frequent.

Compared to rest of the libraries in Nazimabad and Karachi, Taimuria Library fares better. I suspect that it is because of the location and funds that keep the place up and running. Could reaching this level be a start for other libraries? But what about re-imagining the entire proposition of libraries in local context? Surely Taimuria Library can benefit from it too.