Christmas began in tragedy at the Sydenham management college, as the pride of the institute — its library — was gutted in a blaze. College alumni donated of Rs 5 lakh to arrange for new books
No one was present in the library when the fire began in the wee hours of Sunday. All that could be salvaged from there was the rare collection of Harvard Business Review journals. Pics/Shadab Khan
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Christmas began in tragedy at the Sydenham management college, as the pride of the institute — its library — was gutted in a blaze. By the end of the day, however, the college also witnessed the generosity of Christmas spirit as Sydenham alumni instantly came to the rescue with a donation of Rs 5 lakh to arrange for new books so students can continue their academics.
The fire is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit. Fire control received the call at around 5.30 am, after which four fire engines and seven water tankers were sent to the library at Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE).
A senior official said, “By 7.30 am, the fire was brought under control. However, the books and furniture inside library was flammable material, so there was more damage.”
College officials estimate that about 80% of the books have been irreparably damaged. Not all is lost, however.
The fire brigade got the call around 5.30 am and the blaze was brought under control in about two hours
Christmas miracle
For one, no one was hurt in the incident; the students are all away on Christmas break and because it was in the wee hours of Sunday, no one else was there when the fire broke out. Equally miraculous is the fact that the institute has managed to salvage its most precious collection of Harvard Business Review (HBR) journals, which were housed in special vaults (called compactors) that kept them safe from the flames.
Dr Manoj Bhide, director in charge of the institute said, “It was a high-tech library with 16,500 books on management education. While most of the books are destroyed, we are glad that our rare books, which were kept in compactors, are safe. These HBR journals are assets for any management institute. Although these books got wet, we are glad that after drying, they are still in readable condition.”
“The library is certainly a very important section of any institute, and this fire is a huge loss for us. But we are confident of getting support from the alumni, the university, as well as the government in restoring the library,” he added.
Trial by fire
The college still has tough times ahead. Students will return from holiday on January 3, when they will be expected to get back to their grinding academic schedule. Without books, however, the students will be handicapped.
Moreover, since it is a government institution, restoring the library could take a long time because of all the paperwork and official procedures to follow.
In this trial by fire, it is the Sydenham students who saved the day. While current students rushed to the campus to help out as soon as they heard about the blaze, the Sydenham Institute of Management Alumni Association (SIMAA) too have pitched in with a much-needed donation of Rs 5 lakh, so the college can at least arrange for the crucial books that students will need.
Meanwhile, Mumbai University has also extended its support by opening its library to SIMSREE students. Aashish Pawaskar, assistant professor at SIMSREE and one of the directors of SIMAA, said, “Mumbai University will now allow our students to use the Churchgate campus library whenever required until our library is restored.”
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