135-Year-Old Chaitanya Library to be Restored

The century-old Chaitanya Library, one of the finest libraries in the city, will be restored soon.

- TARUN GOSWAMI

The Calcutta Heritage Collective has taken up the project to restore and revive the heritage library. A musical show was organised at a star hotel on 12 January. Dedicated to the restoration, revival, and reuse of Kolkata's built heritage, the Collective unites thought leaders, students, senior citizens, professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, heritage experts, developers and concerned citizens, all bound by a shared passion for preserving the city's rich history.

The Chaitanya Project aims to restore the 135-year-old Chaitanya Library to its former glory. Established in 1889 by intellectual stalwarts such as Gaur Hari Sen, Kunj Behari Datta and Rabindranath Tagore, the library houses over 150,000 rare books and journals, including invaluable works on Indian history, philosophy and culture.

However, decades of neglect have left it in urgent need of restoration and digitisation to preserve its priceless collection for future generations.