Jammu and Kashmir identifies over 33,000 rare manuscripts; household survey planned to help preserve heritage

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The Jammu and Kashmir administration has identified 33,858 rare manuscripts from various institutions and private custodians as part of the Union government's flagship Gyan Bharatam initiative, officials said on Wednesday.

The initiative is aimed at unearthing, safeguarding and preserving India's vast manuscript heritage.

Chairing a meeting, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo directed the culture department to actively involve the public and encourage them to come forward for the identification, digitisation and preservation of rare manuscripts.

He said the mission is not merely a technological exercise but a collective cultural responsibility requiring cooperation among the government, institutions and the people to preserve invaluable knowledge for future generations.

Director, Archives, Archaeology and Museums, K K Sidha said 33,858 manuscripts have already been identified from government and semi-government institutions, religious establishments and individual custodians.

He said a special household survey titled 'Har Ghar Dastak' is being planned to trace and digitise manuscripts with the consent of their owners. "The initiative will target coverage of at least one panchayat each day."

The head of the Department of Persian at the University of Kashmir, Jehangir Ahmad, whose department has been designated as a Cluster Centre for digitisation, said around 5,000 manuscript pages have already been scanned at the laboratory established at the university.

Sidha also announced that a separate digitisation laboratory will be set up in Jammu to ensure smooth and timely execution of the mission in the region.

Principal Secretary, Culture, Brij Mohan Sharma, said the Gyan Bharatam Mission aims to digitise one crore manuscripts across the country to establish a national digital repository of Indian knowledge systems, ensuring seamless knowledge sharing and long-term preservation of India's intellectual legacy.

"The mission is anchored on achieving three 'Ds' -- digitisation, deciphering and democratisation -- through a '4S' strategy that includes searching for manuscripts, saving them, scanning them and sharing them in the public domain in an accessible form," he said.

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