Mailsi in Punjab is famous for Mailsi syphon, the shrine of Hazrat Abu Bakar Waraq, Malik Wahon Mosque from Mughal king Aurangzeb’s period and last but not least the Masood Jhandeer Library.
Situated in Sardarpur Jhandeer, a small town 12km from Mailsi, the library claims to be the biggest private research library in Pakistan. It is run by Mian Masood Jhandeer who understands well the importance of collecting and preserving manuscripts as the progress of civilisation is primarily based on the acquisition of knowledge. Manuscripts after all are the result of human endeavors to transfer knowledge to other human beings. So these master pieces are the most important expressions of intellectual development with many vistas of history being unfolded through their reading.
Although modern techniques have made it possible to make as many copies of manuscripts as one would like the fondness and attachment with the original, not to mention its worth, cannot be replicated. There are some 3,000 original manuscripts preserved at the Masood Jhandeer Research Library including works in Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Pushto, Saraiki and Punjabi.
The rare and most valuable of these manuscripts include a Holy Quran weighing 100kg, a 315cm X 6cm Holy Quran, a heptagonal manuscript of the Holy Quran and more than a thousand copies of the Holy Quran written using different calligraphic designs.
It is due to the international fame of the Masood Jhandeer Research Library that Sardarpur Jhandeer continues to attract tourists. Situated in the suburbs of Mailsi about 65 kilometres off Vehari, the town was established in 1961 by Sardar Muhammad Jhandeer after whom it has also been named.
The local railway station, too, bears the founder’s name. But of all the town’s achievements over the years, the library stands out as a source of knowledge and light that has also produced many scholars and men of letters. It is the biggest privately-run library in terms of number of books on many subjects and in many languages, which exceed 1,30,000.
The library has of late moved to a new building comprising some 25 odd rooms where it is being managed by a professional librarian. Surrounded by lush green fields it is encircled by a modern and well-equipped cotton farm with cemented irrigation hoses, grassy plots, rows of trees all of which add to the beauty of the area.
Since this is a privately-funded reference library only, therefore the books are not issued. And for the safety of the rare collection there are no photo copying services as well. This might not be very convenient for off-station scholars who visit Mailsi for just a day or so. Still the staff provides exceptional service in the form of free use of the library as well as complimentary boarding and lodging.
This free hostel or guest rooms reserved for research scholars have become a part of the library with a pleasant juxtaposition of books. The different portions of the library have been arranged well and are in harmony with each other. In keeping with modern-day demands the library these days is also being computerised. To preserve the books, there is a book-binding department, equipped with mechanical cutters, etc.
Except for government holidays, the Masood Jhandeer Research Library is open to the public in the mornings quenching the thirst for knowledge of several research scholars, MPhil and PhD students and the many district management officers under training who come here as a part of their intellectual and professional grooming. It has over the years earned the honour of receiving many worthy university vice chancellors, college principals, professors and doctors who are pleasantly surprised to find here such a wide variety of books on all subjects.
The writer is a lecturer in English at Islamia University, Bahawalpur