If you just said, "What's that?", Director of The Department of Archives, Dr Bhaskar Dhatavkar, won't be surprised; it's a common response. fiona fernandez went on a tour inside an archival office dating back to 1882, that few know exists, but is ironically open to everyone. What lay inside? Queen Victoria's Proclamation of 1858, a rare early photograph of India's first president, and years of neglect
If you just said, "What's that?", Director of The Department of Archives, Dr Bhaskar Dhatavkar, won't be surprised; it's a common response. fiona fernandez went on a tour inside an archival office dating back to 1882, that few know exists, but is ironically open to everyone. What lay inside? Queen Victoria's Proclamation of 1858, a rare early photograph of India's first president, and years of neglect
On a blistering Monday afternoon in October, Dr Bhaskar Dhatavkar is paid a visit by guests he doesn't expect. That, we suppose, explains the bemused look on his face. The Director, Department of Archives (Government of Maharashtra), says most Mumbaikars, even those who've lived in the city all their lives, don't know "we exist".
The Microfilm Department is in desperate need of a facelift. The
airconditioning has been dysfunctional since 2005. A tablefan fills in.
PICS/ VIKAS MUNIPALLE
Tissue Lamination: A type of archival preservation that involves
applying a special glue to every page, which acts as a safety net to
restore the ink and prevent damage.
Shivaji's royal seal: "Ever growing in splendour like the moon on the
first day of the bright half of the month, and adored by the world, this
seal of Shivaji, the son of Shahaji, shines for the benediction of all," it
reads. 
Rare photographs: The Archive houses rare photographs from Indian
history, including one of India's 1st President Dr Rajendra Prasad
One of the oldest restored documents in the archive: This record,
belonging to the East India Company, titled Surat Factory, dates back to
1646-47u00a0
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"Nobody except scholars, researchers and PhD students come here. Sometimes, foreign students drop by for specific needs," says the man who heads a team of 156 staffers. They work as quietly as Willy Wonka's Oompa-Loompasu00a0u00a0 inside the dusty precincts of the office that shares space and an address with Elphinstone College, to restore what is arguably one of the largest repositories of Indian history, since the early 1600s.
Legacy dating back to 1831
Dr Dhatavkar, who has a background in history, is carrying forward a legacy dating back to 1831, when W. Wissencraft, the 1st Keeper of Records of Bombay, took charge of the third Archive in British India, after Madras (Chennai) in 1818, Calcutta (Kolkata) in 1819. Until these priceless records found a safe resting place inside the current office in 1882, they were spread across several locations, including the Town Hall (Asiatic Society of Bombay) and the Secretariat.
"Apart from the Queen's Proclamation, we house several letters written by Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru, Sardar Patel, Dr BR Ambedkar, and ancient scriptures in Persian and Modi," says Dr Dhatavkar, while calling out to Girish Gawand.
A photographer with the Microfilm Department for 18 years, Gawand readily agrees to play guide. "There are two kinds of archival lamination; Tissue and Siphon," he rattles off, leading us down a corridor. "The former uses a type of restoring glue, while the other uses cloth, specially ordered from Kashmir," he says about a restoration process that increases the life span of books by 30 years.
The average time taken for each sheet to dry varies from three to 12 hours depending on how muggy the weather is.
Next, the restored documents are glued and bound together with animal fat. "Larger, voluminous books have to be broken down after lamination," Gawand says. And so, storage remains a pressing concern. Plans for a shift in address to a more spacious location at Bandra-Kurla Complex are on hold, we are told.
Fighting fire
Wrought iron bookshelves that reach for the ceiling and lie packed in rooms like tight corn rows carry confidential Legal, Judicial, Financial and Military records of the East India Company, surveyed physical and political maps of Poona, Bhor and Ahmadnagar districts from the 1920s to Inward-Outward Registers about plague outbreaks in the region.
Amid the treasure, we spot a few early black and whites of India's first President Dr Rajendra Prasad. "These are from his young days; bahut prized pictures hain," he smiles.
It's hard to miss the Archive's degeneration, though -- insufficient space, shelves overflowing with priceless
documents and records that threaten to topple. Basic documentation requirements like archival-sensitive cooling and lighting are sorely absent.
Need some air
The Microfilm Department holds the story of an archival process that helps restore ancient books. Pages are
captured on film, and stored in 100 feet, non-perforated film roles. A reader (instrument to read microfilm files) allows you to access hundreds and thousands of pages.
Ideally, microfilmed books must be stored at 21 degree Celsius to increase longevity, for up to 500 years. These rolls take at least 30 minutes to an hour to burn. Every microfilm roll must keep a leader (at the start) and a tailer (at the end) measuring up to three feet, on which pages are not filmed. This, according to Dilip Sawant, Chief Photographer at the Archive, "ensures that in case of a fire, the content can be saved by the time help arrives."
The Microfilm Department is our next stop, and Gawand's playground. "Only 3,225 books have been converted to microfilm. We need more government funding. The air-conditioning, crucial for microfilm storage, hasn't worked since 2005. Under current conditions, records will last just another 50 years," admits Sachin Pagdare, fellow photographer at the Department, pointing to a cardboard screen that covers the AC cavity, even as a whirring table fan struggles to provide succour within the stuffy interiors. "Chief Minister (Ashok Chavan) studied at Elphinstone (College), and promised much when he visited the archive last. Let's see. We are waiting."
3 types of archiving
Binding, Microfilm and Digitisation: Digitisation is preferred since it's easy and saves time.
How to access the archive
Students, journalists, researchers and just about anybody with a letter of authority (even from your housing society secretary) that states his/her need for access, can drop by and start work the same day. Entry: Free. Photocopy: Rs 10 per pg.
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At: Elphinstone College Building, Kala Ghoda. Call: 22844268. 10 am to 5.30 pm. (Closed Sun, 2nd & 4th Sat).
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