Patna's Sinha Library To Get Statue Of Its Founder Ahead Of Its Centenary

Work is currently underway on the campus of the 'Sinha Library' which turns 100 in February next year, near its old building to erect a pedestal on which his statue, made of metal and alloy, would be placed, he said.

Though there is no official word on its unveiling date, sources said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to unveil the statue this week, before the birth anniversary of Sinha which falls on November 10.

Sinha was also the provisional president of the Constituent Assembly of India when it met in Delhi for the first time in 1946.

He donned multiple hats during his illustrious career as a barrister, a lawmaker, journalist and university administrator, and was at the forefront of a movement that eventually led to the creation of a separate province of Bihar and Orissa in 1912 with Patna as its capital.

One of his lasting legacy is the library he founded in 1924, which has served generations of scholars, historians, knowledge-seekers and book lovers in general.

Located in the heart of the Bihar capital, the handsome two-storey old structure was established officially as the 'Srimati Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidananda Sinha Library', popularly known as 'Sinha Library'. The institute was named after his wife.

The institution is run by the Srimati Radhika Sinha Institute and Sachchidananda Sinha Library Trust.

The library has a rich collection of 1.8 lakh books and copies of some of the oldest newspapers from 1901 onwards, said Sunil Kumar, a Senior Advocate in the Supreme Court who holds the chair of the trust.

"Dr Sachchidananda Sinha set up this library 100 years ago, and as it stands on the cusp of completing its centenary, we feel proud of the legacy he left behind for people. The library was inaugurated by the then Governor of Bihar and Orissa, Sir Henry Wheeler on February 9, 1924. We plan to hold a three-day event from February 9-11 next year to mark the centenary," Kumar told PTI.

A statue of Sachchidananda Sinha will be installed in the library campus as a tribute and work is currently underway to make the pedestal ready, he said.

Asked by when the statue will be installed, Patna-born Kumar, in his late 60s, said, "probably tomorrow".

Sinha was born on November 10 in Arrah near Patna in 1871. Every year, his birth anniversary is celebrated at the library's huge hall where a number of historic meetings have taken place since its inception and whose walls have echoed voices of several noted personalities, from British era to post-Independence period.

After returning from England, he started practising at the Allahabad High Court.

Following the creation of Patna High Court in 1916, he shifted his practice there.

Sinha, who served also as a vice chancellor of Patna University from 1936-1944, lived in a palatial house -- 'Sinha Kothi' -- located adjacent to the library, which later became the Bihar State Education Board office, and his family had shifted to a new building next door.

The road running in front of the library campus is called the Sinha Library Road.

Once erected, this will be his first statue on the eponymous library campus and perhaps in entire Patna.