The J&K Academy of Art, Culture and Languages (JKAACL) takes the charge
J&K govt launches Mission Manuscripts
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art Culture and Languages has launched a “Mission for Manuscripts”, to help catalogue and preserve rare manuscripts from all parts of the state in Jammu, with an objective to save the valuable cultural inheritance of Jammu and Kashmir ~ an area threatened by prolonged armed conflict.
The pilot mission by the premier body in J&K for promoting art and culture in the state, will collect data on manuscripts housed in a variety of places, including shrines, temples, matthas, madrasas, monasteries and private collections.
Mr Zaffar Iqbal Manhas, secretary, state, J&K Academy of Art Culture and Languages, stated that the “Mission for Manuscripts” project will catalog the state’s ancient documentary wealth and ensure that basic conservation practices are followed to halt their rapid decay.
Mr Manhas said the main objective of the project is digitalisation, microfilming and cataloguing of J&K’s manuscripts, using the latest available technology to hit the global scene. He added that the academy has the largest repository of manuscripts in Northern India, with an estimated 20,000 texts in dozens of languages. The academy will involve writers and religious scholars in this adventurous hunt for ancient volumes, in the hope that the “Mission for Manuscripts” will not only increase expertise on the manuscripts, but also generate cultural sensitivity.
“Our researchers have found rare ancient Sanskrit, Tibetan, Arabic and Persian treatises on such subjects as diabetes, astrophysics, interpretation of dreams, surgical instruments, concepts of time, and the art of war. We want to catalogue and preserve these documents for all generations to come. After the hunt, the academy will promote and facilitate research and scholarship based on the manuscripts and the wealth of knowledge that lies therein,” Mr Manhas continued.
Under this mission, JKAACL is looking to improve access to the manuscripts, generate awareness on cultural inheritance, and encourage the use of manuscripts for educational and research purpose and lifelong learning.
(The Statesman)