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{{Short description|Public library in Mumbai, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox library
| name = Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya
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| country = {{IND}}
| type = Public library
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| established = {{Start date|1898|df=y}}
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| location = [[Mumbai]], [[Maharashtra]], India
| service_area = [[Mumbai]] and [[Pune]]
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| num_branches = 29
| items_collected = Books, journals, bibliographies, dolamudrites
| collection_size = 645,569 books (2021)
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| members = 11,787 (2014)
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| director = [[Sharad Pawar]] (President)
| num_employees = 100+ (2019)<ref name=m/>
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| website = {{URL|http://www.mumbaimgs.org/|Official website}}
| references = <ref name=h/>
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The '''Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya''' (MMGS) is a public library in [[Mumbai]], India.<ref>{{cite news |title=मुंबई मराठी ग्रंथालय; सांस्कृतिक आणि भाषिक चळवळ |url=https://www.lokmat.com/mumbai/mumbai-marathi-library-cultural-and-linguistic-move/ |work=[[Lokmat]] |date=6 February 2019 |language=Marathi}}</ref> It is one of India's oldest libraries, founded in 1898. It has a collection of more than 645,569 [[Marathi language|Marathi]] books, some of which are rare and over 200 years old. The library was used by various notable personalities and Marathi scholars, including [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]] and [[B. R. Ambedkar]].<ref name=h>{{cite news |last1=Kamath |first1=Naresh |title=Premier Marathi library in Mumbai grapples with multiple problems |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/premier-marathi-library-in-mumbai-grapples-with-multiple-problems-101635621301151.html |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=31 October 2021}}</ref> It was declared as a special museum by the [[Ministry of Higher and Technical Education (Maharashtra)]] in 2019.<ref name=ma/>

== History ==
The Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya was established in 1898 by Mukund Balkrishna Gurjar, Narhar Mahadev Joshi, Shridhar Balaji Modak, Anant Neelkanth Pithkar, Vinayak Balwant Joshi, Narayan Krishna Gadre, Shankar Hari Shejwalkar, Narayan Mahadev Bakre, Vitthal Vasudev Tillu, Ganesh Laxman Page and Ambadas Gopal Puntambekar. On 10 March 1959, the central library and office building of the organization at Naigaon, [[Dadar]] was inaugurated by the [[Prime Minister of India]], [[Jawaharlal Nehru|Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Introduction |url=http://www.mumbaimgs.org/index5acd.html?q=node/880 |website=Mumbaimgs.org |publisher=MMGS}}</ref>

In February 2019, it was declared as a special museum by the [[Ministry of Higher and Technical Education (Maharashtra)|State Minister of Higher and Technical Education]], [[Uday Samant]].<ref name=ma>{{cite news |title=एकमेवाद्वितीय असे महाराष्ट्रभूषण! |url=https://maharashtratimes.com/editorial/samwad/mumbai-marathi-grantha-sangrahalaya/articleshow/74030127.cms |work=[[Maharashtra Times]] |date=9 February 2020 |language=Marathi}}</ref> The library also owns Sharada Cinema, a 75-seater single-screen theatre in Dadar's Naigaon, which has been shut since November 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dhupkar |first1=Alka |title=Dadar theatre stripped down to its walls, activists fear prime property may be redeveloped |url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/cover-story/dadar-theatre-stripped-down-to-its-walls/articleshow/69225779.cms |work=[[Mumbai Mirror]] |date=8 May 2019}}</ref> As of 2020, books at the main building were under threat to such hazards as water leaks and pigeons due to years of deterioration at the main (Dadar) branch.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/threat-to-literary-heritage-as-govt-fails-to-exit-library/articleshow/74019515.cms | title=Threat to literary heritage as govt fails to exit library | newspaper=Mumbai Mirror | first=Shruti | last=Ganapatye | date=8 February 2020 | accessdate=20 June 2022}}</ref>

== Collections ==
Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya has a collection of more than 645,569 books in the [[Marathi language]]. Some of the books are more than 200 years old. Some rare books kept by the library include ''Geeta Rahasya'' written by [[Bal Gangadhar Tilak]], [[Vishnushastri Chiplunkar]]'s essays, ''Mao Che Laskari Avahan'' on the 1962 [[Sino-Indian War]] and a book named ''Maharana Pratap Ani Tyache Purvaj''. It has books authored by [[V.V. Shirwadkar]], [[Shripad Krushna Kolhatkar]], [[Vinda Karandikar]] and [[Krishnaji Keshav Damle]].<ref name=h/>

== Membership ==
The membership has declined over the years to about 8,642 from 11,787 in 2014. The library had 44 branches, which has now come down to 29 branches. Of these 29, only 21 are operational. It had 11,787 members in 2014.<ref name=h/>

== Funding ==
The Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya is funded by the [[Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation]] (BMC) and the State [[Government of Maharashtra]]. In 2019-20, it received funding of ₹19.68 lakh from BMC and ₹34.00 lakh from the state government. In October 2019, [[Hindustan Times|HT]] reported that one of the major problems for the library is the pittance funding it gets from BMS and the state government.<ref name=h/>

Of the 29 branches of the Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya, 4 are located in [[Pune]] and the rest is in [[Mumbai]]. As per a 2019 report, fourteen of these libraries receive a maximum of Rs 1 lakh each from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, while the state government contributes a lesser amount.<ref name=m>{{cite news |last1=Dhupkar |first1=Alka |title=Amid calls for library revival, Pawar brokers peace |url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/amid-calls-for-library-revival-pawar-brokers-peace/articleshow/67680337.cms |work=[[Mumbai Mirror]] |date=25 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Activists raise voice against rack and ruin of library trust |url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/activists-raise-voice-against-rack-and-ruin-of-library-trust/articleshow/67632626.cms |work=[[Mumbai Mirror]] |publisher=[[Times of India]] |date=22 January 2019}}</ref>

== Trustee ==
Its trustees include NCP parliamentarian [[Supriya Sule]], [[Shiv Sena]] parliamentarians [[Sanjay Raut]], [[Anil Desai]] and political analyst Pratap Asbe. [[Nationalist Congress Party]] chief and former Union minister [[Sharad Pawar]] have headed the library for 28 years after being elected as the president unopposed. [[Sharad Pawar]] is the current chairperson of the library trust.<ref name=h/>

Pawar won as president in the election held in October 2021, defeating his opponent, Dhananjay Shinde, the general secretary of [[Aam Aadmi Party]]'s Maharashtra state unit.<ref>{{cite news |title=NCP chief Sharad Pawar made the president of Mumbai Marathi Granth Sangrahalaya |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/ncp-chief-sharad-pawar-made-the-president-of-mumbai-marathi-granth-sangrahalaya-101635088501072.html |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=24 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kamath |first1=Naresh |title=NCP chief Sharad Pawar-led panel contests election to retain control of 123-yr-old library |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/ncp-chief-sharad-pawar-led-panel-contests-election-to-retain-control-of-123-yr-old-library-101635000591840.html |work=[[Hindustan Times]] |date=23 October 2021}}</ref>

[[Suresh Prabhu]], [[Bhalchandra Mungekar]], [[Arvind Sawant]], Vidya Chavan and [[Shashi Prabhu]] are serving as the chairpersons of the library trust.<ref>{{cite web |title=Executive Board |url=http://www.mumbaimgs.org/index2a62.html?q=node/3 |website=Mumbaimgs.org |publisher=MMGS}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{URL|http://www.mumbaimgs.org/|Official website}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Public libraries in India]]
[[Category:Libraries in Mumbai]]
[[Category:Libraries established in 1898]]

Mumbai Marathi Grantha Sangrahalaya - Revision history

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