Bangla Academy sells out books donated by Jahanara Imam, now priced at Tk 100,000

Books from the personal collection of Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam are now being sold online. The books were part of the Bangla Academy collection. Such a move has sparked widespread criticism and discussions.

The Facebook page ‘Pustok Zone,’ which sells old books, posted on 22 September about selling George Bernard Shaw’s 'Plays Unpleasant', published by Penguin. Inside the book was the seal of Bangla Academy and a note reading “From the personal collection of Jahanara Imam.”

Upon further inquiry, it was found that at least 20 Bangla and English books from Jahanara Imam’s personal collection had been sold by Bangla Academy by weight.

Several online platforms that sell old books are offering these titles, with the largest collection found on the page Bichitro Bichitro Boi.

When contacted, Md Rashed, who runs the platform, told Prothom Alo that he had bought nearly a truckload of old books from Nilkhet and other parts of the capital. Among them, he found two Bangla and five English books signed by Jahanara Imam.

Criticism has erupted on social media over the sale of books from Jahanara Imam’s personal collection, which her family had donated to Bangla Academy.

One user wrote, “Books from the Bangla Academy collection are now being sold on the footpath.” Another commented, “Isn’t this how the glorious history of our country is being thrown into the dustbin?”

Mohammad Azam, director general of Bangla Academy, however, said that a committee formed in 2014 had identified books with multiple copies in the Academy’s collection and some that were unfit for preservation, and those were the ones sold.

While Bangla Academy justified the sale of extra or unpreservable books, Syed Abdul Hadi, a distinguished librarian with experience in library management both in Bangladesh and abroad, commented that this went against the principles of library science. He said selling books from the personal collection of a distinguished individual in this way was “a clear injustice.”

Although Bengali Academy officials acknowledged the sale of two of Jahanara Imam’s books, at least ten times more are now available online and on the streets.

‘Pakhir Gaan Boner Chhaya’, a book by Shahid Akhand, had its cover designed by artist Qayyum Chowdhury, featuring black line drawings of trees on a green background. The book, published in 1970, was personally signed by the author as a gift to Jahanara Imam. On Jahanara Imam’s 1968 birthday, someone gifted her Maxim Gorky’s novel Mother, published by Progress Publishers, Moscow. On online second-hand book platforms, some of these books are priced at Tk 600, while others are available for Tk 340.

However, all other books have been eclipsed by Shahidullah Kaisar’s 'Sangshoptok'. The Facebook-based second-hand book platform ‘Bichitro Bichitro Boi’ has priced this book at at least Tk 100,000. They have also announced that if the price is not met, this copy of Sangshoptok will not be sold. The book’s special significance lies in the fact that Shahidullah Kaisar personally gifted it on 4 March 1967 to Jahanara Imam and her husband Sharif Imam. He also signed it with the note: “To Mr. Imam and Jahanara Imam, as a token of good wishes from the author.”

The advertisement for 'Sangshoptok' appeared on ‘Bichitro Bichitro Boi’ on 31 August this year. The advertisement for 'Pakhir Gaan Boner Chhaya' was posted on 8 October, and Maxim Gorky’s Ma on 18 September. They have acquired the most books of Jahanara Imam. Md Rashed said that among the lots of books he purchased, he also obtained several signed copies by notable figures including Ahmad Sharif and Abu Zafar Obaidullah. He has removed the posts for Jahanara Imam’s 'Santar Shekha' and 'Mojar Khela Tas' as these two books have already been sold.

On 22 September, ‘Pustok Zone’ posted Plays Unpleasant for sale. They were also selling 'Freedom Verses Organization', The Complete Work of William Shakespeare signed by Jahanara Imam’s son and martyred freedom fighter Shafi Imam Rumi, and George Orwell’s 1984. While buying books by weight from Nilkhet and sorting them, they noticed that some books bore the seal of Bangla Academy, with a note alongside stating “Jahanara Imam’s personal collection.”

The personal book collections of Jahanara Imam, Ahmad Sharif, and Sikandar Abu Zafar were handed over to Bangla Academy by their family members after their deaths. Among living authors, Mahadev Saha personally donated his collection. In addition, several other prominent figures, including Razia Majid, have donated their personal collections to Bangla Academy. The Academy also holds extensive collection of the Muktagachha Zamindar family, which includes rare books. The responsibility for preserving these books lies with the Academy’s library division.

Asked how books from the collections of prominent individuals end up in Nilkhet, Bangla Academy director general Mohammad Azam told Prothom Alo that in 2014, a committee was formed to sort through books donated to the Academy’s library and identify duplicates and low-quality volumes. This committee selected books for disposal that were deemed discardable.

He said the books had been stored for a long time in a room on the second floor of the Academy and added, “Those books have been sold.”

Mohammad Azam explained that every year a large number of books are donated to the Academy during the book fair. Some of these are selected and added to the library, while the rest are marked for disposal. Over the years, the second-floor room of Bangla Academy became completely full, prompting the current sale.

The Academy authorities cite the decision of a committee formed in 2014 as the basis for the book sale. That committee’s meeting was chaired by the late Emeritus Professor Anisuzzaman, who was then the president of Bangla Academy. The subcommittee for library book sorting, present at the meeting held on 10 June 2014, included Professor Hayat Mamud, retired Academy director Subrata Barua, Professor Bishwajit Ghosh, and Bangladesh Shishu Academy librarian Rezina Akter.

The minutes of that meeting show that while a decision was made to cull books, there was no specification of which books would be included on the list.

After seeing criticism on Facebook, Bangla Academy’s director-general Mohammad Azam personally inquired with the librarian. He told Prothom Alo, “In response to the information circulating on Facebook about Jahanara Imam’s collection, I requested a written report from the librarian. They have confirmed that the collections are fully intact and preserved. This includes the Academy’s own books. The books appearing outside are those deemed for disposal by the committee after sorting.”

The director of the library department, Md. Shahadat Hossain, in a letter to the director-general, mentioned the sale of two of Jahanara Imam’s “unpreservable” books. When Prothom Alo contacted him by phone to find out the actual number of books sold, he avoided answering, saying he “cannot recall.”

“This is a clear injustice,” commented Syed Abdul Hadi, who served as director of Bangladesh’s Department of Public Libraries and has also worked as a librarian at the University of Wales in London.

He told Prothom Alo that, according to library science principles, deaccessioned books are left outside for the public, allowing passersby to take what they like, although such practice has not developed in Bangladesh.