“To read is to live a hundred lives, to see through a hundred eyes.” – Ruskin Bond
Every book is a doorway, every page a shift in perspective. Reading allows us to inhabit other worlds, to understand lives far removed from our own. Yet the act is never entirely solitary. Each story becomes part of a vast, shared human experience. If books are the portals, libraries are the keepers of the keys—guardians of spaces where knowledge and imagination meet.
Libraries, at their best, are not only repositories of books but living spaces where ideas meet, evolve, and sometimes collide in ways that shape our understanding of the world. They are places where the past whispers through old pages and the future is quietly imagined in the margins. It is in this spirit of continuity and reinvention that we remember the figures who have defined their purpose.
Remembering Prof. S. R. Ranganathan
August 12 is observed as Librarian’s Day in India in honour of Prof. S. R. Ranganathan, the father of library science in the country. A mathematician by training and a visionary by temperament, he transformed the way libraries were understood and used. His Five Laws of Library Science—Books are for use; Every reader their book; Every book its reader; Save the time of the reader; The library is a growing organism—were not merely professional rules. They were a human-centred philosophy, rooted in the belief that libraries are living systems, evolving alongside their readers and communities.
This philosophy feels strikingly relevant today, as libraries navigate their place in a rapidly digitising world.
Prof. S. R. Ranganathan — Wikimedia Commons, by Bhaskar Shikha Saikia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The Digital Shift
The rise of digital platforms has made information instantly accessible. E-books, online journals, and global search engines offer reach, portability, and often reduced costs. For many, a mobile phone now functions as a personal library card. Yet this convenience comes with trade-offs—cognitive overload, diminished deep reading, and the constant pull of notifications.
Namita, founder of Aatman, an independent practice specialising in graphology and personal development, values what the digital world cannot easily replicate: “In an overstimulating world, a library is literally a sanctuary… Silence is sacred. But the world we live in has forgotten how to respect silence, and this includes the digital world.”
For Kishor Harale, founder of HKR Biotech, a startup pioneering innovative biotechnology solutions for healthcare and environmental applications, the difference is also about mental space. “Book reading in the library keeps me calm. It is like doing meditation for me.” His words echo a truth many feel—digital access may widen options, but physical books often deepen the experience.
A Quiet Revival at Venture Center
The Venture Center Library exists at the crossroads of tradition and innovation. Within its shelves are technical journals, biographies, research reports, and books on markets, philosophy, and creativity. It is designed not just for reference but for discovery, a place where readers can wander without agenda and find what they did not know they were looking for. Beyond its shelves, the library remains a lively hub—hosting thought-provoking book discussions and hands-on workshops such as the “Mastering Tensegrity” design challenge, The Psychology of Money reading session, and practical innovation programs like “Harnessing TRIZ.” These gatherings keep the spirit of shared learning alive while adding new dimensions to the reading experience.
Namita describes these moments as “magical synchronicity,” when a book seems to appear at precisely the right time. Umesh Rode, Head – Technical Solutions & Key Accounts at Proeon, a plant-based protein solutions company developing sustainable food ingredients, sees the library as “a knowledge powerhouse… an innovation catalyst,” where ideas are sparked not only by planned research but by the unexpected connections that happen in a room full of books.
For Kishor, the library is a “one-stop solution” for the variety of knowledge an entrepreneur requires, while for Umesh, it is also about the feel of the experience. “Online reading mediums do not even match the feeling of having a book in hand, the smell of the books, and reading it in a quiet place,” he says.
Here, T. S. Eliot’s observation finds a living example: “The very existence of libraries affords the best evidence that we may yet have hope for the future of man.”
The Books That Shape a Founder
The influence of a library is often measured in the books that leave a lasting mark. For Namita, it is impossible to choose just one. Fiction sparks her imagination and fuels creative exploration, while non-fiction sharpens her problem-solving. Her list spans genres and philosophies: The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, Chop Wood Carry Water by Joshua Medcalf, The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki, Deep Work by Cal Newport, Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim, and even the wit and wisdom of Akbar-Birbal stories.
For Kishor, it is Ikigai by Héctor García and Francesc Miralles that has had a profound effect. It has taught him the importance of community and maintaining good health—lessons that extend beyond entrepreneurship into the art of living.
Umesh points to Conceptual Selling by Miller & Heiman, a book that shapes his approach to communication, negotiation, and building meaningful client relationships. For him, reading is not confined to the workplace; he keeps books close at hand, ready to be read on journeys or quiet evenings at home.
Why Physical Books Still Matter
Research has shown that reading physical books aids retention, comprehension, and sustained focus in ways digital formats often cannot. The tactile experience—the weight of the book, the texture of the paper, the act of turning a page—creates a sensory anchor that helps memory and engagement.
Namita likens reading to “the most basic form of meditating… It builds the concentration and attention span muscle, which is the real superpower in today’s times.” Kishor integrates physical reading into his daily rhythm, often before sleep or on holidays, treating it as a grounding ritual. Umesh appreciates the intentionality of choosing a physical book, calling it “quiet time that belongs entirely to me.”
Signs of a Wider Revival
Across India, physical reading is showing signs of renewed life. Independent bookstores are drawing younger crowds, public libraries are reinventing themselves as cultural hubs, and book clubs and literary festivals are thriving. These trends suggest that while the digital world expands access, many readers still seek the slower, deeper engagement of the printed page.
Umesh’s view of the Venture Center Library reflects this balance: “It helps in strategic information access, inspiration, and ecosystem navigation,” he says—pointing to the fact that even in a high-tech innovation space, the printed page retains a unique role. Namita captures the feeling differently: “Time is circular, not linear… What better way to jump a timeline than to just read?” And for Kishor, the measure of a library’s value remains simple—whether it continues to introduce him to new ideas, new skills, and the peace that comes from uninterrupted reading.
In Closing
Librarian’s Day is not only about honouring individuals like Prof. Ranganathan but also about preserving the spaces where the act of reading remains unhurried and purposeful. In Ruskin Bond’s hundred lives and Eliot’s enduring hope lies a truth that crosses eras: the future of reading will not depend solely on technology but on whether we make space for the deep, reflective act of turning a page.
At Venture Center’s library, that space is not only preserved but nurtured. Here, entrepreneurs, innovators, and dreamers find both the inspiration to move forward and the grounding to pause, think, and imagine.
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