Last Friday, the State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications (SIEP) released two encyclopaedias simultaneously, a precious moment for the 48-year-old institution. But there is a grim, sickening side to this gargantuan effort that should embarrass any self-respecting government to action.
Criminally under-staffed for an encyclopaedia publishing house, the state-run SIEP operates out of a stuffy, rented building at DPI Junction, Jagathy. A tiled, damp, monarchy-era construction that leaks, ‘Kalpana Bungalow’ has a dubious distinction - it must be the only building on earth that has a library in every room, including the kitchen and the ill-lit work-area. Space is at a premium here. Hard-bound volumes line shelves where, in a normal household, you would find jars of pepper, salt and garam masala.
Inside glass-fronted wooden shelves in the kitchen, you find such gems as the ‘Encyclopaedia of World Art’ and faded brown volumes of Frazer’s ‘Golden Bough.’ You thread your way between two rows of packed shelves to a gloomy work-area. Here, there are more shelves. The amber glow from the incandescent bulb overhead is so thin, you have to squint hard to read the titles.
In one almirah, 32 bound volumes of Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Harijan’ share space with the original first volumes of ‘Hortus Malabaricus.’ In another reclines those shining gems edited by Max Mueller which introduced the east to the west - the 50-volume ‘Sacred Books of the East’. The ‘Books’ include the ‘Pahlavi Texts,’ ‘The Quran,’ ‘Bhagavad Gita,’ ‘Zend Avesta’ and the ‘Vinaya Texts’.
``Ever since its inception, this institute has been fleeing from one building to another. We’ve been clamouring for a permanent building for years, but nobody cares. This place is in reality a ministerial bungalow belonging to the KTDC, and they’ve been asking us to move out for the past one year. Where will we go?’’ a senior editorial staff said.
SIEP is the proud owner of 25,000 volumes of encyclopaedias and reference works, which would easily rank among the best collections anywhere. Some of the books are among the rarest of the rare. But nobody outside the SIEP staff - most certainly not the State Government and its bureaucratic machinery - seems to give a damn.
Encyclopaedias are everywhere. ``We try to get copies of new encyclopaedias published anywhere in the world. You will find among our collection the ‘American National Biography.’ We got it at 40 percent discount back then. Even then, we had to pay Rs 2.5 lakh,’’ a senior staff said.
``Highly toxic pesticides are used to keep the books safe. We sit and work close to those pesticides.’’
Work; there is a lot of that. SIEP plans to roll out four different encyclopaedias before the year is out. They include special tomes on astronomy (Jyothisastra Vijnanakosham) and evolution (Parinama Vijnanakosham).
The double-storeyed bungalow sports an open ‘Nadumuttam,’ ringed by verandahs bursting with book-shelves. The sales wing of the SIEP functions in a car shed. The administration operates out of what was originally the guard-house. Snakes and civets abound on the campus. You can hear the civets move around in the roof, say SIEP staff. Sometimes the animals urinate from atop, and the staff have to keep hollering until they go away. Only last week, a snake making a beeline for a drainage-hole in the main building had to be killed.
What is today the SIEP began as a department at the Secretariat in 1961.
Then came a series of ‘boarding houses;’ at Vazhuthacaud, a private building at Thycaud, and later a TRIDA building at a murderous monthly rent of Rs 60,000.
In 1972, the first volume of ‘Sarvavijnanakosham’ was published and two years later, the second volume. Autonomy was granted in 1983. In 1985, the ‘Sahitya Vijnanakosham’ was published, and the same year, it became an institute.
‘Under-staffed’ is a weak description of SIEP. In 1985, it had 113 staff, including 40 editorial members. Today, it has 48 regular staff, with 15 in the editorial. Proof-readers are hired on contract, and there are no librarians. The two librarian posts have been lying vacant ever since the incumbents left.
``We’ve submitted so many petitions. We really need a permanent building for all these valuable books,’’ said SIEP director Prof K. Pappootty. ``Our dream is to have a set-up where they can properly be used for research.’’
tikirajwi@epmltd.com