Memory Times: 1940s :Joining J. N. Petit Library In Bombay When I Was Eight
I must...must...visit my old haunts in Bombay again!
In the 1940s, when I was eight years old, my father enrolled me as a member of the J.N. Petit Library of which he was a member. The library was located on Hornby Road in the Fort area of Bombay, close to Flora Fountain, the virtual heart of the city. Much later, before moving with my family to Bangalore, I paid a one-time fee to become a Life Member of the library. I still get the library's annual report by post.
The Petit Library building is in a Neo-Gothic style. It's beautiful, with ornate windows of coloured glass panes, including some pictures of the library's founding family. On the first floor are stacked the books we can take out for reading.
But the very first books my father showed were not meant to be lent out. They were ornately illustrated copy of one of the early translations of the Arabian Nights.
In his memory when my beloved father passed away, I asked them to give me his membership ledger number.
*
Books by Drs Ms Jagjit & John Daniel: Doctor At Home (EastWest Books): Tips on Health And Fitness For The Whole Family. Dreams of One Country (Amazon Kindle): The campaign of a young woman, Priya Jha, unites youth and powers India's ascent to join world's leading nations! Click here to preview Dreams of One Country: https://www.amazon.com/Dreams-
