Hyderabad: Page after brittle page is put together. A thin tissue is spread over it and then a chemical applied gently. This is followed by minor repair, lamination and binding.

Lo, the book is ready for perusal. Ancient pharmacological texts and Unani formulations are being retrieved from irreparable damage. Priceless Unani books of Arabic, Persian and Urdu scripts are getting a new lease of life at the Nizamia Tibbi College, Charminar.

This premier Unani College has 50,000 books and over 500 manuscripts. But over the years they have been left untended resulting in termites making mincemeat of the medical books. Most of the books are in shreds, the pages falling apart when opened.

Thanks to the National Mission for Manuscripts, the rare books at the Unani College are being protected from decay, damage and destruction. What's more all at no cost.

For the last two months technicians from the Salarjung Museum are working on the books in the Unani College. About 550 books, which were recently digitised, by the Dubai-based Juma Al Majid Centre for Culture and Heritage, are now being given chemical treatment to arrest the decay. "It takes at least one week to restore a book and make it fit for reading," says the technician.

The National Mission for Manuscripts seeks to locate, catalogue and preserve Indian manuscripts and also to enhance their access, said Unani College in-charge principal K.S.A. Ansari.

Rare book

The college library has some of the rare books like Jamia-ul-Hikmat, a renowned book of Unani general medicine. There are only two copies of it in the State. While one is available at the Salarjung Museum the other one is with the Tibbi College. But many such works have deteriorated over the years putting the research scholars in a fix. Now it will be possible for them to refer these books.

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