Mr. Rajan Batheja: A Freelancer

Mr. Rajan Batheja works as a freelancer in the field of films, music, and theatre production

Interview

Dr. Preeti Sharda: Please tell me something about your first encounter with the library.

Mr. Rajan Batheja: Until I finished twelfth, having studied from the local village school, I had no exposure to the library. The first library I ever visited was the State Library of Panchkula. I had come to this city for a course in one of its government institutes.

So far as I remember, my first encounter with the library was a coincidence. In leisure hours, I used to walk across the sectors to explore the city as much as I could. I noticed a board with a 'library' written on it. It was a new thing for me to explore. I went inside the building without a second thought. When I entered the library hall, I saw thousands of books placed on shelves in proper order. The tables and chairs were empty. There was none except the librarian and her assistant who told me about membership terms of the library. Membership was required only to take books home for reading. For reading in the library hall, there's no membership required. I was allowed to visit and read in the library whenever I wanted. I started having look at the titles of the books kept on shelves. That very activity excited me so much that I kept reading the book titles for long two hours. The more I saw them, the more I wanted to see more titles and the more curious I became because of facing the fact that there were millions of new things to know about. And there were now those books to satisfy my curiosity.

Since that day, libraries have become my second home. Wherever I go, the very first thing I want to explore is the libraries that the city has.

Dr. Preeti Sharda: How the library has made a change in your life?

Mr. Rajan Batheja: Library to me is no less than a temple. Whenever I feel down, lonely, sad, empty, stressed, I go to the nearby library, sit and read silently without any disturbance or hindrance. This very activity is like mediation which always helped me and is still helping. Ignorance starts fading away when you gain knowledge; when you apply that knowledge in your life, the former completely fades away and your life starts changing. This is one of my preferred ways to deal with any problem I face in life.

You can also gain the same knowledge by reading books at your home, but libraries have a special aura which moves you in some way or the other. I find books peeking out of their shelves to talk to me.

Moreover, I have also realized that the very process of reading by sitting amidst thousands of books purifies the mind. All negative thoughts go away.