Hindustan Times article "Efficient librarian and accomplished writer"

[Anup Kumar Das]

Efficient librarian and accomplished writer: Dr Anjana Chattopadhyay is also tech savvy and is a self-taught artist and sculptor

by Chanchal Mukherjee

Hindustan Times, July 26, 2011

Contrary to popular perception that a working woman gets no time to pursue her passion in a 9-5 job, Dr Anjana Chattopadhyay balances her creative skills of writing with responsibilities as the director general, Delhi Public Library.
Chattopadhyay loved to write articles from a very young age. Her writings reflect her concern towards contemporary issues. Her passion for reading and writing may explain why she is heading an institution, which has everything to do with just books. Chattopadhyay has published four books so far.
Sharing her journey, Chattopadhyay said she started her career from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1972. She also worked as the foreign technical expert in the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Mauritius, from 1988 to 1990.
She contributed on popular topics related to Indian art, culture and scientific heritage in the generals and papers.
“Mauritius is a Francophonic country. Not much literature was available on Mauritius in the English language at that time. So, I wrote a comprehensive reference document, Mauritius Today, containing the latest information including facts and figures on the most beautiful tourist spot in the world,“ said this Chittaranjan Park resident.
"I had decided to write a book for the differently abled. I took five-six years to do an elaborate research for it and brought out my book". Dr Chattopadhyay, Delhi Public Library
Chattopadhyay involves herself in public causes. The year 1981 was celebrated as the International Year of the Handicapped, which motivated her to write the All India Directory of Vocational and Educational Training Institutes for the Handicapped in India, published by Patriot Publications in 1986.
“From the first day itself, I had decided to write a book for the differently abled. So, I took five-six years to do an elaborate research for it and brought out my book,“ said Chattopadhyay. The book got instant recognition in India and abroad. It played a valuable role in the rehabilitation of many differently abled people in India over the years.
Chattopadhaya got a chance to live in different places and gather experiences, which reflect in her writing. She also contributes to many journals and writes articles in newspapers.
She has also published the Encyclopaedia of Indian Scientists, which became the first reference document of its kind, narrating the glory of Indian scientific heritage through the biography of great scientists ranging from ancient to the contemporary.
“The book attracted the attention of late Dr Satish Dhawan, the first chairman of the Indian Scientific Research Organisation. He sent a personal letter to me. The second book on the same subject, titled Biographical Dictionary of Indian Scientists, was published in 2002. The 1,600 page compendium containing 2,064 biographical details of Indian scientists was produced under the low price edition of the Indian Book Trust,“ Chattopadhyay said.
“The book was launched at the 89th All India Science Congress at Lucknow by the then Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee. Soon, the book became a best seller title,“ she added.
As the director of the National Medical Library (NML), New Delhi, from 2004-10, she redesigned the mode of information dissemination system in the electronic environment. Due to the high cost of medical literature, the medical colleges/institutions across the country depended upon the traditional postal dissemination of photocopy of literature from NML.
Realising the difficulty, Chattopadhyay introduced the concept of cooperative information sharing system by starting the electronic resources in medicine (ERMED) e-journal consortium for over 98 medical colleges/institutions in the country. ERMED facilitated to connect medical colleges situated in remote areas such as Port Blair, Bankura and Pondicherry to access current global medical literature from over 3,000 medical journals free of cost.
Apart from writing, Chattopadhyay is a master in oil paintings, paper sculpture, dress designing and gardening. She was a state level athlete of Rajasthan state and represented the Birla Balika Vidyapeeth, Pilani. A self-taught artist, Chattopadhyay's philosophy of art is interpreting mystery of monuments and caves. “I like sketching mountains, caves and heritage sites,“ said she.

Source: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com//publications/HT/HD/2011/07/26/articlehtmls/Efficient-librarian-and-accomplished-writer-26072011751004.shtml