00:09So let's start today's informative tour.
00:13Today we are going to talk about a topic which is really interesting.
00:17We will see how these priceless treasures of our literary history and knowledge are being preserved in Pakistan.
00:23Is
00:24And believe me, this journey starts from the footpath of a small street and ends at the beautiful royal palaces of the state.
00:30goes up to
00:30So get ready for this journey.
00:32Now think for a moment
00:35Suppose you are looking for a unique book that is out of stock everywhere.
00:41Every door was closed
00:42So, in this huge and crowded city, can anyone thirsty for knowledge be called a kari?
00:48This is not a thought
00:50But those who love books have to face this issue every day.
00:55And we find the answer to this question in a small shop in Karachi's Zona Market.
01:01You can get an idea of the fame of this place from these words of Nizam Al-Din Khan Sahib.
01:06He himself is a book seller and he says
01:09that if a book is available anywhere in Pakistan
01:12And there's no hope left of meeting him.
01:14Even then, there is a ninety percent chance that you will definitely get that book from this particular shop.
01:19It's amazing, isn't it? It's really no less than a literary oasis.
01:23So first of all let us talk about this literary oasis of Karachi.
01:28Now the most surprising thing is that this shop was opened only on 48 Gus.
01:34J Yeah, only forty-eight Gus.
01:37This place, called Abbasi Qutub Khana, started in 1910 as a small roadside stall.
01:45It was established by Ghulam Abbas Dawood Bhai.
01:47And today, in this small place, there are more than 6000 books, some of which are over 60
01:54-It is 60 years old and look at the variety of languages here, not only Urdu but also Arabic, Persian, English, Pashto, Sindhi, Punjabi.
02:03And Saraiki is the language of every language.
02:17He has been running this shop single-handedly for the last 60 years, ever since he was in the fourth grade.
02:22He used to come here after school to help his father. There was a time when books were sold here.
02:28There used to be dozens of shops which became smaller with time.
02:43He says that even today he feels a yearning to visit this shop every day.
02:49For them, coming here is just like eating food for a human being if he stays here even for a day.
02:55If it doesn't come, they feel hungry, to be honest.
03:11It is a matter of fact that shoes and sandals are sold displayed in beautiful glass showcases whereas
03:18Books imparting knowledge are still being sold on the footpaths, this is a very big Alamiya, a special era.
03:25But quoting books and this harsh reality
03:39Now towards Bahawalpur, a very strong compensation comes in front, on one side there is a small 48-yard road
03:46The Intahai Jati Noy is a place of Noyat which has been run by one Khandan since 1910 and another on the other side
03:54Central Library Bahawalpur is on this side
03:57This is not an ordinary place but a magnificent Tamil temple built on three buildings spread over an area of 84 kanals.
04:05It was duly established with royal funds and surplus government land salaries and today there
04:12More than a lakh books
04:13These two examples show us how different the standards for preserving knowledge can be.
04:20But the journey of this great library was not so easy; despite royal patronage, it had to establish its own independent library.
04:28To gain a wake
04:29For decades, the organization faced a kind of political dilemma. It so happened that in 1927, its construction
04:36Work began but stalled due to a lack of funds. Then, in 1934, Nawab Sirsadiq Muhammad Khan
04:44Panjam formally established this building.
04:46The matter did not end there; in 1937 the government named it Central Library and added a second floor.
04:54But after a long debate, finally in 1958 the municipality converted the entire building into a library.
05:02So you
05:04What a long and arduous journey it was. And the person behind it all was now this Nawab.
05:12Let's take a look at the magnificent legacy of the library. To understand the sheer scale of this library, we need to look at Nawab Sarsadiq
05:20The foresight of Muhammad Khan Panjm
05:22This must be seen. Born in 1904, Nawab Sahib was crowned in 1924 at Noor Mahal. His eldest son
05:30His speciality was that he generously used both his royal powers and personal resources for public education.
05:37used. libre
05:51which led to the union with Pakistan in 1947. And if you're wondering what all this means today,
05:58If you're making a profit, look at this number: 12,000. Yes, even in this modern era, 12
06:06More than 1,000 members are benefiting from this historic institution day in and day out.
06:11This is proof of the initial investment that Nawab Sahib made for knowledge and fame.
06:18It has been generating tremendous profits to this day. Now let's see how much profit we make in today's modern era.
06:25How is this department's caste archiving working?
06:28Nowadays, big institutions like State Bank Library have a huge responsibility to preserve knowledge and
06:36This is no small task. They have to keep meticulous records of every aspect of human progress.
06:42Fines, Ta
06:58This is a very laborious and important task. When we talk about such government archival records,
07:06We do this, especially where there is a complete entry of new Urdu books, so we actually follow that practice.
07:14are watching, which are spoken in our regional languages
07:17And it is a guarantee of the remainder of the date. This is a systematic method that ensures that
07:23May our entire literary heritage be preserved forever for the admirers of future generations.
07:32A necklace is made by stringing a pearl on a thread.
07:35So, after all this, the question arises: what is the future of knowledge?
07:43One has to face a very important and somewhat harsh reality. With such a rich and wonderful heritage,
07:49Despite what today's government reports tell us
07:52Many public libraries in Pakistan suffer from severe budget constraints.
07:59And unfortunately, these institutions are not getting the attention they deserve.
08:04This is a serious issue which is important among these innocent people.
08:07The biggest obstacle to maintaining the rules is construction. But in the shadow of all these difficulties and challenges
08:15Habib Hussain Abbasi's determination shines through like a ray of light. He is firmly convinced
08:22And he says it very simply.
08:23He said, "Inshallah, I will never let this happen to this bookstore."
08:30Mutazal al-Azam actually had a true love for books and protected this literary garden of his 48 years.
08:37This is the biggest argument. So all these facts...
08:52So how will we defend the physical refuge of these great stories? Who will be the people who will step forward and share our stories?
08:58Mushtarka Danish Varana will become the new guardian of history. This is indeed a question we all need to ponder.
09:05Needed
09:23We will do everything for Azim.
Comments