New library in Hyderabad opens its doors, old one awaits rebirth

The gravity of Hyderabad is shifting westwards. And the newest addition to this urban shift is a large accessible public library in the Kondapur area. Bang on the main road above a jewellery showroom on the eighth floor is the Coforge Public Library that opened a few days ago. And people in Hyderabad are voting with their feet — it is drawing about 400 visitors on Saturday and 550 on Sunday.

Fluttering flags make the library easy to spot, and getting there is simple: an elevator ride to the eighth floor followed by a quick sign-in grants access. Inside, the quiet hum of air-conditioning blends with the soft chatter of children hunting for books. The shelves are spotless, the lighting warm and the seating inviting, all designed to make visitors linger with a good read. There’s no Wi-Fi and laptops/tablets aren’t allowed as a gentle nudge to disconnect and just read.

“The genesis of this library lies in the vision of Coforge CEO Sudheer Singh. He was able to access good libraries while growing up in different Army cantonments across India and then in the U.S. He felt that this gap in access to libraries needs to be filled,” says Anuradha Sehgal of Coforge.

The library currently has 15,000 books where dozens of readers can find space in the 15,000-odd sq.ft. area. “A library is a place of knowledge that can fire imagination. That is why we have a range of books with a special area for children,” says Ms.Sehgal.

A world away from this, on the banks of the Musi River, is the State Central Library in Afzalgunj that started in 1891. “We have six lakh books,” says Riyaz, chairman of Telangana Rashtra Grandhalaya Parishad. But a large section of the books remains inaccessible as the building built in 1936 is undergoing one of the biggest conservation efforts. The main hallway with the reception table is covered and the inner walls have been chiseled away to make way for a fresh coat of lime plaster.

“For nearly a decade, libraries were ignored and funding had stopped. I am trying to get the library cess released to buy up more books, hire regular staff and improve the atmosphere in the libraries,” says Mr. Riyaz, promising that the conservation work will be completed by January 2026.

The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation collects property tax (PT) and of that, 8% is earmarked as library cess. Last year, the civic body collected ₹2,000 crore as PT. If the funding is rightfully devolved, libraries in the city should get ₹160 crores.

“From a real library that was part of the library movement in Telangana, this place has become a reading room. But the books are there. As a new generation is discovering books, we want to be ready for them says,” Mr. Riyaz.

Between the two libraries, there is a chasm that only readers can bridge as the patronage for physical libraries increases.