Rammohun Library

Rammohun Library Rammohun Library & Free Reading Room (RL&FRR) was established in the year 1904 by some celebrities to perpetuate the memory of Raja Rammohun Roy. This institution is claimed to be unique and noteworthy in this country, “bearing the torch of reason and knowledge which the Raja Rammohun Roy had endeavoured to inculcate in the mind of his country men for their enlightenment and uplifting”.The first mention of the Library in the memory of Raja Rammohun Roy was found in 27th Sep. 1886 in a meeting chaired by Dr. Mahendralal Sarkar at the City College Hall, when a montion was forwarded to establish a memorial in the name of the great reformer. It was conceived that the best way of remembering the great man was to set up a Library. Later in the year 1893, Carl Erich Hammergren, who came to India to do research work on Rammohun Roy, conveyed his intention of helping in setting up a library in the memory of Raja Rammohun.Roy. Dr. Mohini mohun Bose of Raja bazar at the funeral of Hammergren, “made a donation of Rs. 100/- to the Rammohun Library projected by Mr. Hammargren”. The foundation of the Library was ultimately conceptualised in a meeting held on 28th December 1904 under the chairmanship of Shri Nabin Chandra Bidyaratna. In this congregation a temporary committee was formed with members like Pandit Narayan Chandra Bidyaratna ( Son of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar), J. N. Bose, poet Dwijendralal Roy, Rajendra Lal Ganguly, D. N. Pal, Deb Kumar Roy Choudhury, Basanta Kumar Nag and Sarat Chandra Majumder. The chairman of the committee was advocate Pannalal Basu. Likewise on 24th January 1905 Rammohun Library started functioning from a rented house at 101, Upper Circular Road, (presently Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road), The First Chairman was Narendranath Sen, General Secretary was Professor Promatha nath Bandyopadhyay, Sarat Ch. Majumder was the first Libraian. The ceremonial inauguration was held on 18th March 1905 near the Deaf and Dumb School. Soon due to space constraint there came a need to have an exclusive building for the Library and an appeal was made throughout India for financial help. This plea was well received and aid started pouring in from all over the country . Gobardhan Das, Damoder Das from Bombay ( Presently Mumbai) pledged to donate Rs. 5000/- through Satyendra Nath Tagore with a few conditions. These include that the Library should be accessible to anyone irrespective of caste and religion, no fees should be charged for this purpose and these conditions should be reflected in the name of the Library itself.