Rammala Library

Rammala Library is a hundred years old library located in the city of Comilla and one hundred kilometer away from Dhaka city. Mr. Mahesh Bhattacharya established it in 1912. Rammala library occupies a wide range of land in the midle of Comilla town. Two storied buildings on the both sides of a big pond housed the library. Books, Punthis and Magazines were organized in ground and 1st floor. This library is enriched with 12000 printed books and 8500 hand-written books on literature, culture, history, geography, philosophy, religion and other branches of knowledge. The collection of hand-written books (Manuscript) are mostly the literature of Medieval period, but the language of very few of them has been possible to comprehend. Furthermore, this library preserves rare magazines of Bangla language. We find the issues of Prabasi, Shanibarer Chithi, Mauchak, Purbasha which are not available in other libraries of Bangladesh. There is an incomparable collection of books on comparative religious theories in Rammala Library. The library is famous to the researchers from home and abroad because of its rare collection. The researchers from USA, England, Ireland, and Japan utilized this library effectively. This library has importance next to University of Dhaka and Bangla Academy. The library was affected during the liberation war in 1971.

Mahesh Bhattacharya lived in the village of Bitghar under nabinagar upazila, comilla district. Bitghar was always advanced in the field of education from ancient time. Mahesh could not continue his education because of poverty of his family and migrated to Comilla in quest of livelihood at his early age. Mahesh knew how to cook and at first he became a cook for a rich family. He saved money and admitted himself to school again. But within few years he had to stop schooling for want of money. He then started selling his labour for different work and when he saved a handsome money, he started the business of homeopath medicine opening a shop named 'Bhattacharya and Co'. Then his luck favoured and he became a rich man. Subsequently he spent his money for founding Nibedita School, Iswar Library and a hostel for the students. At the same time, he founded a Temple for Drama. Once upon a time it was the center for all types of public meeting and cultural function in Comilla. Mahesh Bhattacharya wanted to build a complete cultural complex in fact. Later, he brought Mr. Rashmohon Chaterjee from Chandpur to Comilla to take care of the library. Rashmohan Chaterjee looked after Rammala library like his own child. He was unmarried and fond of reading for acquiring knowledge. By the funding of Mahesh Bhattcharya and sincerity of Rashmohan, Rammala got the ideal shape of a research home. [Saymon Zakaria]