Archive · 1 Oct 2026
India's Rare Libraries Risk Neglect as Collections Remain in Storage
Tulsi Sadan is a library with many old and special books.
More than 200,000 of its books have been kept in boxes for 15 years.
They were moved when construction began near the National School of Drama in New Delhi.
The library’s books cover 14 Indian languages.
Old books can help people understand how earlier generations lived and thought.
The writer says books need safe storage, trained caretakers, and digital copies.
People should also be able to find and read them without too many obstacles.
The article argues that India should protect its libraries as important parts of its heritage.
More than 200,000 books from New Delhi’s Tulsi Sadan Library have remained boxed and without a permanent home for 15 years.
The collection was displaced from the National School of Drama in 2011 during construction of a Delhi Metro station.
Opened in 1972, Tulsi Sadan holds rare and special books in 14 Indian languages.
The article compares India’s situation with the preservation and public exhibition of historic parish libraries in England’s East Midlands.
The writer calls for preservation, trained archivists, digitisation, improved cataloguing, and easier public access to rare collections.
- Who
- Tulsi Sadan Library, the Ministry of Culture, and the governments and heritage bodies responsible for preserving collections.
- What
- More than 200,000 Tulsi Sadan books have remained in boxes without a permanent library space, prompting calls to protect and open India’s rare collections.
- When
- The books were displaced in 2011 and had remained in storage for 15 years when the article was written.
- Where
- The Tulsi Sadan Library collection is in New Delhi; the article also discusses collections in Lucknow and Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, and parish libraries in England’s East Midlands.
- Why
- The books were displaced during construction of a Delhi Metro station, and the writer argues that delayed rehabilitation and difficult access reduce the value of rare collections.
- Affected collection
- More than 200,000 books at Tulsi Sadan Library
- Time in storage
- 15 years
- Displacement year
- 2011
- Languages represented
- 14 Indian languages
- Library opening
- Tulsi Sadan Library opened in 1972 to commemorate 400 years of Ramcharitmanas
- Recommended measures
- Preservation, archivist training, digitisation, better cataloguing, and easier reader access
- Comparison
- The University of Nottingham’s Manuscript and Special Collections is exhibiting historic parish-library books from England’s East Midlands