India to Preserve 1 Cr Manuscripts with National, Regional Hubs

• Culture Ministry launches Gyan Bharatam to preserve India’s 1 crore manuscripts.
• National repository in Delhi with regional hubs in states like J&K and UP.
• Separate SoPs for each manuscript material to ensure effective conservation.
• Translation, digitization, and scholarly research to run alongside preservation efforts.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 11th Oct: The Ministry of Culture has embarked on an ambitious mission to locate, preserve, and decode India’s vast manuscript heritage, which spans states and is recorded on materials ranging from palm leaves and birch bark to copper plates and cloth.

At the recent Gyan Bharatam international conference in New Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi estimated India’s manuscript collection at a staggering one crore, written in multiple languages including Sanskrit, Tamil, Persian, and Malayalam.

To tackle this, the ministry is developing separate standard operating procedures (SoPs) for different manuscript materials. The plan includes establishing a national repository in Delhi and regional hubs in areas rich in manuscripts, such as Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh.

“Each type of manuscript, whether on copper plates, banana leaves, or textiles, requires distinct conservation techniques. We also encourage private custodians to hand over manuscripts to the Government for proper preservation,” said Vivek Aggarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Culture.

The initiative, named Gyan Bharatam, will function along the lines of the Archaeological Survey of India, with headquarters in Delhi and regional centers depending on manuscript density. Additional hubs may be set up in eastern and northeastern states as required.

Professor Ramesh Chandra Gaur, Dean of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), emphasized that conservation methods depend on the base material. “Materials like palm leaves, birch bark, stone, copper plates, textiles, and even walls require tailored preventive and curative care. Distinct SoPs are critical for effective preservation,” he said.

In addition to conservation, the ministry plans to encourage translation, digitization, and deciphering of manuscripts. Aggarwal added, “Preservation and digitization will run alongside linguistic work, translation, and decoding. We aim to involve young scholars and PhD students in this multi-dimensional effort.”