CHENNAI: Over 30 patrons of the Madras Literary society, non-members and few member-volunteers of the 200-year-old institution gathered at the quaint and majestic premises of the MLS library on Saturday morning, for the grant-contribution of PM Belliappa (IAS, retd), followed by a talk by historian S Muthiah.
As we walk in more than 80,000 books stacked in the library, some which are almost a century old and some which have been waiting for human touch for decades, welcome us. Mohan Raman, honorary general secretary, MLS, said, “This library houses some of the oldest and rarest books which need to be restored. There have been a couple of projects initiated to catalogue some 55,000 books, restore rare ones and also to increase the membership. We don’t need publicity, but need commitment of individuals to understand the value of these books, which are part of a legacy now.”
Stepping forward for other patrons and book lovers to follow suit, Belliappa contributed two grants of `25,000 each to the MLS programme for the restoration of rare books in its collection. The first grant was from his family trust set up honouring his father PK Monappa, who joined the Madras State Police as a subordinate officer and went on to head the police services of Madras, Hyderabad, and Mysore states. “My father left behind a lot of values for me to take and carry on. This is a special way for me to commemorate him,” he said as he handed over the cheques to historian Muthiah.
The second grant by Belliappa was on behalf of the Association of British Scholars (ABS). “The pan-India organisation brings together Indians who had the opportunity to study in the UK and have made a contribution to India after their return. The second grant is from this very organisation which I headed after my retirement,” said Belliappa whose role in nurturing Indo-British ties was recognised with the award of an honorary MBE.
Acknowledging Belliappa’s contribution to the library before his talk, Muthiah said, “It’s great to see him giving this for the welfare of the library. At a time where Kindles and e-books are taking over, it is necessary to understand the comfort and pleasure of holding and reading a book while sipping coffee as you
do it!”
Talking about three British military officers of the East India Company — Francis Buchanan Hamilton, Colin Mackenzie and William Lambton, Muthiah began, “All the three have one common feature…the three men started projects of national importance at Madras.”
Taking about the three great surveys and several of their achievements in opening up and discovering the wealth of India, Muthiah explained, “Mackenzie’s land surveys, Buchanan’s findings of what the land offered, and Lambton’s Great Trigonometrical Survey which extended to the Himalayas, led to the creation of the Survey of India, the Archaeological Survey of India, the Zoological Survey of India and the Botanical Survey of India. These are men who have contributed to what India is now and need to be remembered.”
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