Year 1990 is memorable: I joined All India Radio, Guwahati, on an Inter- Ministerial transfer from Central Water & Power Research Station, Khadakvasala, Pune, where I worked as the Senior Librarian of its Research Library. But I had started my career as librarian at the young age of 17 when I joined the Kesari Maratha Granthalaya, where I did micro-filming of the old Kesari newspapers. After completing my Bachelor of Library Science, I first joined the Library of the SNDT College, Pune, and thereafter the august library of the Gokhale Institute of Politics & Economics, where I did bibliography work of a large number of books and research publications. Later at CW&PRS besides doing indexing and abstracting works I also did much work on a thesaurus on Water & Power Science. While working there, I visited the Library of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and studied the system of its vast library. Thereafter, I presented a paper on Indexing & Abstracting at the CW&PRS, which was well received, and my recommendations were adopted to improve the system of its Research Library.
AIR, Guwahati was a bonanza of all round fellow feeling, team work and bonhomie. The Station boasted of a number of popular musicians, singers, writers and dramatists who obtained national laurels. People were friendly and helpful. I remember Mr. P. K. Singson, who was then its Station Director, and subsequently rose to become the Dy. Director General. Compassionate and understanding, he was very sensitive to staff welfare. AIR, Guwahati gave me the opportunity to attend a much valuable training programme at ABU, Kuala Lumpur, which widened my exposure in Library Science; and also a training programme on computer applications at the Directorate, New Delhi.
In 1994 I moved to New Delhi and joined as the Librarian, Central Technical Library, at the Directorate, and worked there up to 1997, when I sought transfer to Pune and joined the AIR, Pune, where I worked in Audio & record Library. As a trained hand in Library Science, a librarian’s job is to maintain the book library, programme records of the station and provide information to the programme staff. In retrospect, so much I have learned, and so much unlearned at the AIR. Today I lay my service after about 33 years of active work as a librarian with a feeling of fulfilment and enter the age of ease. But I must also share with you my heart’s pangs: Joining as a Sr. Librarian at the CW&PRS, I joined as a Jr. Librarian at All India Radio, Guwahati, whereafter, by a fell swoop our position had been suddenly degraded as Library & Information Assistants. The question will ever trouble my mind as to how qualified postgraduates in Library Science, working as librarians for years, could be suddenly degraded as Library & Information Assistants. More so, when a librarian in the past had risen to become its Director General! If we are all Library & Information Assistants then where are the Librarians? The small group of librarians at All India Radio does not have the bargaining strength to get a fruitful answer to it. I hope a fruitful answer would be found in the future. With this, I part company from All India Radio in a poetical note:
“Let the thick curtain fall;
I better know than all;
How little I have gained,
How vast the unattained.
O living friends who love me;
O dear ones gone above me;
Careless of other fame,
I leave to you my name.
Hide it from idle praises,
Save it from evil phrases.”
--- Mrs. Suvarna Arun Barthakur All India Radio, Pune
Contributed by:- Smt Shubha Dharmadhikari, AIR Pune
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