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Conserving manuscripts the indigenous way now

Historic treasures: An ancient manuscript

New Delhi: A four-day meeting-cum-workshop of experts on manuscript technology began at the National Mission for Manuscripts in the Capital on Monday. The Mission is the nodal agency of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA).

The chief objective of the meeting is to divert emphasis from chemical conservation of manuscripts to utilising indigenous methods and techniques of conservation. The IGNCA plans to invite and support community-based custodians of knowledge in management of natural resources and environment. There are also plans to launch a digital network and a web link for collation of research and for study of manuscripts within a historical perspective.

Taking its efforts of digitising material to another level, IGNCA will create a multimedia exhibition based on illustrated manuscripts. This exhibition would have the potential to be transported from place to place for enhancing awareness about conservation of precious and historic manuscripts. In accordance with the 11th Five Year Plan, IGNCA is consolidating and expanding its work on manuscripts. It aims to explore the culture-specific applications of the knowledge systems described in manuscripts from different zones.A review meeting of the Manuscript Resource Centre’s directors and curators will be held to discuss and evaluate the work done and the problems faced in accomplishing the conservation work. Representatives from four zones – North, South, East and West—will report extensively on the activities of their respective centres. Eminent scholars in Sanskrit and Persian will also be present to guide the conservationists. The Mission was set up by the Government for retrieving traditional knowledge. It has been estimated that there are at least five million manuscripts in various languages and scripts scattered all over the country.

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