Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya (MGS) is a public library located in Thane, Maharashtra, India. It was founded on 1 June 1893.[1][2] It is India's first and oldest Marathi library.[3]
| Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya | |
|---|---|
 Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya | |
| Location | Thane, Maharashtra, India, India |
| Type | Public library |
| Established | 1 June 1893 |
| Other information | |
| Website | Official website |
History
editMarathi Granth Sangrahalaya was established on 1 June 1893, by Vinayak Laxman Bhave, a 22-year-old man, along with his friends Vishnu Bhaskar and Baba Patwardhan. It was the first public Marathi library in Thane district. On the day of its establishment, the library received 40 subscribers, and by the end of the year, the number of subscribers had gone up to 172. The library started with 76 books and had 598 books by the end of the year.[1]
The library had run a magazine called Maharashtra Kavi from 1904 to 1908 under the editorship of Vinayak Laxman Bhave. The magazine published works of many poets from the 13th century to the 18th century. In 1944, the golden jubilee of the organization was celebrated under the chairmanship of Narasimha Chintaman Kelkar, alias Tatyasaheb Kelkar. On 8 February 1953, the 13th Literary Week of Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya was inaugurated by freedom activist Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. The 42nd Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan was held in Thane in 1960 as an initiative of Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya.[1] In 2014, the mobile book library was started by Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya.[4] In June 2017, on its 120th anniversary, it installed a digital kiosk, which offers books in digital and audio formats.[5]
Building
editThe first building of Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya was constructed in 1930 in Kharkar Ali, Thane. The new library building was inaugurated on 21 April 1964, by the then Defense Minister of India, Yashwantrao Chavan and Datto Vaman Potdar. At the same time, the organization got the status of a district library.[1]
Collection
editMarathi Granth Sangrahalaya has more than 1,700 books. It has a collection of old magazines, including Kerala Kokil, Kayastha Mitra, Paisa Fund, Dharmajagruti, Kirloskar, and Anand. A project of digitization has also been started to make the bibliography accessible to more readers digitally.[1]
Membership
editIt had 3,000 to 4,000 members before COVID-19. The membership deceased after COVID-19.[6] The membership of Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya is ₹1,000 per month since April 2018.[4]
Election
editIn the triennial election of Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya, Vidyadhar Thanekar, a writer and publisher won as the president in September 2021.[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "ठाण्यातील पहिले ग्रंथालय". Maharashtra Times (in Marathi). 31 July 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ "Library on wheels rolls out in city to enhance reading culture". The Times of India. 28 June 2014. Archived from the original on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Mandpe, Dr. Asha (2 January 2010). "History of India's first Marathi library". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 10 September 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ a b Menon, Ankita G (5 May 2018). "One of Thane's oldest libraries goes digital". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ Menon, Ankita G (7 June 2018). "Thane library offering your favourite book in digital, audio formats". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ "मराठी ग्रंथ संग्रहालय वाचकांसाठी सज्ज". Lokmat (in Marathi). 9 June 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ "ठाणे मराठी ग्रंथ संग्रहालयाच्या अध्यक्षपदी विद्याधर ठाणेकर". Lokmat (in Marathi). 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
External links
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