RBU Journal of Library & Information Science, Vol 25, 2023

Satija & Krishnamurthy: Professor P N Kaula and S R R…
secured a prominent niche on the library science
map of the world.
Embodiment of Library Science
Kaula observed that Ranganathan had been like a
monomaniacal charmed by library science. From the
early hours of his rising till late at night, he would
talk of nothing else but library science. Even in
ordinary conversation he would artfully connect
every topic to library science. Ranganathan would
forget even his meals while engrossed in his work.
Like a few other giants, such as Sir Isaac Newton,
he was pathologically addicted to work.
Burning Midnight Oil
Kaula remembers Ranganathan would not
sleep when he was struggling with a problem. He had
accompanied and seen Ranganathan continuing
working till midnight. He would be forced to go to
bed by his son. His son after having have finished
one round of sleep suddenly would come and tell
him, "Appa! you have not allowed Kaula to go.
Please go to bed now". But the father would neither
ask Kaula to go nor himself go to bed. Yogeshwar
would get annoyed and so would give him a mild
warning to switch off the lights if he still continued
working. Father would not like this disturbance and
would shout "Poh"! That meant "You go". The tussle
between the father and the son would continue, none
yielding. Finally the son would put off the light and
think that he had succeeded. The father would
immediately call out, "Child! You cannot realize the
struggle in my mind. Do not disturb me". But the
son would not yield; and so the relenting father
would ask Kaula to go, and would himself go to bed
with the problem still in his head. Next morning
when Kaula returned, he always saw that he had
already scribbled several pages and was still
absorbed in his work (Ranganathan1992,
Sec.CK73,p.431).
Morning Walks
Ranganathan took morning walks regularly with
students and colleagues wherever he be. The walks
were not meant only to refresh and reenergize the
mind. Even during the walks, he went on discussing
technical problems with the walking companions.
Starting from his residence in the early hours in the
company of some students with a walking stick in
his hand, he would stop at the very gate of his house,
outside the compound to discuss library problems,
finding solutions and helping the students. Most of
the papers were thus read out and discussed in the
morning walks. In Banaras, in the company of Kaula
and others he used to go daily up to the Ganges to
have a holy dip in the sacred river. There also the
group used to discuss several library problems. In the
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beginning, Kaula missed keeping a notebook which
resulted in loss of many precious ideas. Kaula
learned in the company of the great master that a
great asset of a man is his industry when applied for
a right cause in right direction. All great men are
industrious people--- ninety-nine percent perspiration
and one percent inspiration, they say.
Same Measuring Rod for All
Kaula believed Ranganathan was a much
misunderstood man even in his own circle for his
relentless industry, making high demands on others,
and for his impatience. In the early days he had been
very passionate to get a thing done immediately and
that too meticulously. He would feel upset if the
results were not to his liking. Being himself an
extremely workaholic, he naively judged others with
the same measuring rod that he applied to himself.
But for lesser mortals like us it is not possible to be
as devoted, hardworking or brilliant as he would
want us to be. He felt annoyed with persons who
lacked that capacity to work---howsoever sincere
they be. Ranganathan loved hardworking persons
and perhaps it was the reason for his fondness for
Kaula because of large amount of work Kaula did
with and could do for him. Ranganathan recognised
and valued Kaula’s dedication, hard work, dynamism
and popularity among his colleagues. Ranganathan
wrote to Kaula in 1946: "You are unexampled in
industry”. Once he described Kaula as a “bundle of
energy”. Nevertheless, Ranganathan was peerless in
his single minded pursuit of his work. God had
endowed him with indefatigable energy and
brilliance of mind. Therefore, Kaula dare said that he
was "undoubtedly unexampled in industry." At the
same time Kaula confessed that Ranganathan had
made Kaula literally sob several times for not being
able to do his assigned work properly or on time.
Ranganathan was harsh to students in their interest.
Ultimately it benefitted them. He recalls an instance:
Unsparing but not Unforgiving
Attitude
During the preparations of a symposium for the All
India Library Conference at Indore in 1951, a few
papers were assigned to Kaula, rather he himself
had offered to write three papers–one jointly with
some other colleague and two independently. The
papers had to be kept ready by24th December 1950.
Sufficient time had been given to write them as
Ranganathan was on tour first abroad and later to
South India. For the joint paper, Kaula requested his
prospective collaborator to start writing it. He,
however, did not doit and went on making excuses.
The other two papers were completed. But the third
one could not be done proving the well-known
saying, "Joint responsibility means no