Hi-tech haven for readers: South Kashmir gets its largest private library

Anantnag, Nov. 5: Litterateurs, academicians, writers, and students gathered on Wednesday in the Bulbul Nowgam area of Anantnag district to inaugurate what is being described as South Kashmir’s largest private hi-tech library - a modern reading space that can seat more than 100 readers.

The Allama Iqbal Library and Reading Room has been set up along the Anantnag–Kishtwar NH-244 highway by Shahid Shafi Itoo, a lecturer in environmental science, who converted his family’s commercial complex worth crores into a library.

Eminent Kashmiri poet and writer Professor Shad Ramzan, who attended the event, praised the initiative as “a significant step toward reviving the culture of reading in the valley.”

“This is the first serious attempt to bring students, young and old, back to books,” Ramzan said. “I hope this place, besides promoting a reading culture, will also encourage the exchange of ideas, debates, and discussions.”

Ramzan emphasised that such spaces should also serve to preserve and promote local art and literature.

“It is necessary that young students know about Suchi Kral, Mehmood Gami, and Rasool Mir while they study literature and poetry in other languages too,” he said.

Muhammad Altaf, a literary figure and retired superintendent engineer, said setting up libraries like this one was vital to counter distractions among youth.

“In an age dominated by screens and short attention spans, community libraries can help bring focus back to knowledge and learning,” Altaf said. “I would say that small and large libraries should be set up in all villages and towns. They are essential for the intellectual growth of any progressive society.”

Students at the event expressed excitement over the new facility.

“We can’t believe our eyes that such a library has been established in our area,” said Seema Jan, pursuing graduation. “Shahid sir has always encouraged us to explore our potential, and this library is another example of that encouragement.”

She said that he, (Shahid sir) could have set up a huge business unit, but he chose education to serve the society.

Itoo said the Allama Iqbal Library includes separate reading halls for male and female students.

“The registration charges will be minimal and the monthly fee affordable for students,” he said. “Ten students will also receive free registration and study access every year.”

He said the library will serve as an intellectual platform for students and scholars to connect.

“This will be a space where academicians, scientists, writers, and poets can come together and interact with students,” he said. “My father, Muhammad Shafi Itoo, will oversee the institution, and I will serve as his representative.”

Located just six kilometres from Anantnag town, for years, locals knew the building as the Muhamad Shafi Complex a property that could have easily become a row of shops or offices.

“But I didn’t want another commercial block,” Itoo said. “I wanted to create a space where ideas could breathe.”

Today, a new signboard gleams on its facade: “Allama Iqbal Library - A Space to Think, Learn, and Dream.”

Inside, the two air-conditioned halls - one for boys and one for girls are equipped with computers, CCTV cameras, individual lockers, and comfortable seating. A small canteen offers tea and snacks at minimal rates, and accommodation is available for students from distant villages.

“I wanted this to be not just a library, but a second home for learners,” Itoo said.