The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : Destruction of manuscripts decried

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 31, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Destruction of manuscripts decried

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, JAN.30. Several speakers at a workshop on `Preventive conservation of manuscripts' held here recently lamented that scores of manuscripts were allowed to gather dust, thanks to a general nonchalance in preserving this ancient form of knowledge.

Decrying the casual destruction of these recorded documents of yore, the speakers called upon the public and those who had manuscripts to conserve them. Preservation of manuscripts meant bringing to light several useful facts and facilitating research on the past.

The workshop was held under the aegis of the Government Museum, Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Senthamizh College, Madurai Siddha Vaidhya Sangam, Saraswati Mahal Library Manuscript Conservation Centre, Thanjavur, and the Government Museum Manuscript Conservation Centre, Chennai, on behalf of the National Mission for Manuscripts, New Delhi.

Though nearly 50 lakh manuscripts were available in the country, the authorities could retrieve only 30 lakh manuscripts and the rest lay in disuse with several individuals.

A large number of manuscripts on our country had found their way to Germany, claimed P. Perumal of Saraswati Mahal Library Manuscript Conservation Centre.

He said the Centre and the State were making efforts to gather manuscripts from individuals through the National Mission for Manuscripts, which was established specially for the purpose, he said.

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