It was a meeting of the library committee. I am a member. I meet the members something like once a year, because they seem reluctant to call a meeting more often. We meet mor often if any members retire and have to given farewells.
"Let us digitize our holdings" I proposed. "Let us have them as eBooks. Then if the library catches fire, like the Mantralay did some time ago, all will not be lost."
They liked the idea. Even members who sometimes behave like my enemies said it was a good idea. Perhaps they were looking at digital books they could take away free. Then the issue of buying text books for not so well off students came up. There was a grant of Rs. 70000/- Purchase of such books was approved by all.
"Perhaps we could by eBooks for them using this fund" one member suggested. It had been more than a year, but I remembered the funny demands she had made then, and how she had kept on, ignoring my rational explanation why it was not practical to do so. I was not prepared to let history repeat.
"She is like our prime minister. He has just declared free mobile phones and free talk-time to all families below the poverty line. Not free food - but free mobile phones. Here she is proposing free eBooks to students who have no money to buy books in print costing a few hundred rupees. Do they have eBook readers that cost thousands?"
That worked. She must have been happy having been compared to the prime minister.
"Let us digitize our holdings" I proposed. "Let us have them as eBooks. Then if the library catches fire, like the Mantralay did some time ago, all will not be lost."
They liked the idea. Even members who sometimes behave like my enemies said it was a good idea. Perhaps they were looking at digital books they could take away free. Then the issue of buying text books for not so well off students came up. There was a grant of Rs. 70000/- Purchase of such books was approved by all.
"Perhaps we could by eBooks for them using this fund" one member suggested. It had been more than a year, but I remembered the funny demands she had made then, and how she had kept on, ignoring my rational explanation why it was not practical to do so. I was not prepared to let history repeat.
"She is like our prime minister. He has just declared free mobile phones and free talk-time to all families below the poverty line. Not free food - but free mobile phones. Here she is proposing free eBooks to students who have no money to buy books in print costing a few hundred rupees. Do they have eBook readers that cost thousands?"
That worked. She must have been happy having been compared to the prime minister.
