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New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) Around 300-year-old illustrated manuscripts of Shrimad Bhagwat, a rare Jain manuscript from Kund Kund Bharati, and a 250-year-old text on medicine have surfaced in Delhi during a survey under the Centre’s Gyan Bharatam Mission.
The survey was launched by the Delhi government’s Archives Department to identify and map unregistered manuscripts that are over 75 years old and linked to religion, medicine, and traditional knowledge systems.
The drive began on April 16 and will continue till June 15, with the current phase focused on locating, documenting and geotagging manuscripts to build a national database, said an official.
At present, 13 students each from Dr B R Ambedkar University and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University,
along with postgraduate and PhD scholars, are making field visits across Delhi to identify such manuscripts and interact with families preserving them, she said.
“We are planning radio jingles and hoardings across the city to create awareness about this mission so that more people can reach out to us,” the official said, adding that people can reach out to the department to list their manuscripts.
The official said many people often confuse manuscripts with rare books, letters or unpublished typed documents. She explained that a manuscript must be handwritten, at least 75 years old and possess literary value, usually as a complete work with a beginning and an end.
“Handwritten letters may be important archival records, but they do not qualify as manuscripts,” she explained.
On April 15, a training and orientation session for surveyors was held with 28 participants given hands-on experience with the Gyan Bharatam app and trained to identify manuscripts correctly.
Most surveyors are MA students and PhD Research Scholars, selected to give them research exposure while helping them engage directly with the public.
The Archives Department currently holds 248 manuscripts and the Shrimad Bhagwat with 300-year-old paintings reflecting 10 manifestations of Lord Vishnu and the 250-year-old medicine manuscript.
According to the official, preparatory work for the exercise began earlier this year after a memorandum of understanding was signed in January.
Although the Centre launched the mission on March 16, the app and operational framework were finalised later, following which state and district-level committees were formed.
The first meeting of the state committee was held on April 8 under the chairmanship of the chief secretary, after which district administrations were brought in to speed up implementation.
The official said the Gyan Bharatam Mission has five core verticals, with the present exercise being the first phase of survey and mapping. The next stages will focus on digitisation, conservation and preservation of manuscripts through designated cluster centres.
Launched by the Union Ministry of Culture, the Gyan Bharatam Mission aims to create a nationwide inventory of India’s undocumented manuscript heritage and protect traditional knowledge preserved in handwritten form for generations.
The initiative is expected to help preserve valuable texts on religion, philosophy, Ayurveda, literature and local histories that remain scattered and unexplored in private collections across the country. PTI SHB VN VN
