National Mission for Manuscripts Report of the Seventh Year 2009–2010 Publisher’s detail: Director National Mission for Manuscripts 11, Mansingh Road New Delhi – 110 001 Tel.: +91 11 23383894 Fax: +91 11 23073340 Design: Macro Graphics Pvt. Ltd. Email: [email protected] (www.macrographics.com) Website: www.namami.org Print: Ana Print O Grafix Pvt. Ltd. National Mission for Manuscripts Report of the Seventh Year 2009–2010 National Mission for Manuscripts | Annual Report 2009–2010 1 National Mission for Manuscripts Manuscript Resource Centre Leh, Jammu & Kashmir Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir Dharmshala, H.P. Simla. H.P. Kurukshetra, Haryana Hoshiarpur, Punjab Haridwar, Uttarakhand Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand Rampur, U.P. Varanasi, U.P. Lucknow, U.P. Vrindavan, U.P. Agra, U.P. New Delhi, Delhi Patna, Bihar Darbhanga, Bihar Nalanda, Bihar Arrah, Bihar Kolkata, West Bengal Bhubaneswar, Orissa Bhadrak, Orissa Guwahati, Assam Head Office Silchar, Assam Imphal, Manipur Manuscript Resource Centre Ujjain, M.P. Manuscript Conservation Centre Sagar, M.P. Indore, M.P. Jodhpur, Rajasthan Jaipur, Rajasthan Ahmedabad, Gujarat Manuscript Conservation Centre Pune, Maharashtra Leh, J & K Guwahati, Assam Ramtek, Maharashtra Simla. H.P. Imphal, Manipur Tirupati, A.P. New Delhi, Delhi Tawang, Arunachal Pr. Hyderabad, A.P. Nainital, Uttarakhand Ujjain, M.P. Pondicherry, Pondicherry Vrindavan, U.P. Jodhpur, Rajasthan Mysore, Karnataka Rampur, U.P. Jaipur, Rajsathan Gorakhpur, U.P. Ahmedabad, Gujarat Shravanabelagola, Karnataka Lucknow, U.P. Pune, Maharashtra Keladi, Karnataka Varanasi, U.P. Hyderabad, A.P. Bangaluru, Karnataka Hoshiarpur, Punjab Tirupati, A.P. Hampi, Karnataka Patna, Bihar Bangaluru, Karnataka Thanjavur, T.N. Arrah, Bihar Chennai, T.N. Chennai, T.N. Kolkata, West Bengal Tanjavur, T.N. Kanchipuram, T.N. Bhubaneswar, Orissa Trivandrum, Kerala Thiruanathapuram, Kerala Burla, Orissa Ernakulam, Kerala Thirur, Kerala Note: The map here is only notational and not up to the scale. 2 National Mission for Manuscripts | Annual Report 2009–2010 From the Director conservators all over the country, creating a resource pool of manuscriptologists and palaeographists and providing support to institutions for preparing descriptive catalogues. It has also helped in creating awareness about manuscripts through outreach programmes like lectures and seminars. By publishing the lectures and proceedings of seminars, the contents have been rendered accessible to a much larger audience than would have been otherwise possible. he manuscript heritage of India I feel privileged and honored to be is unique, not only in terms of associated with this institution which quantity but also in terms of T is driven by a passion for the past and subject matter it deals with as well as commitment to the future. I strongly the beauty of its physical presentation. believe that the greatness and respect that It contains the cumulative knowledge of India once enjoyed can be fully regained Indian tradition in fields of learning as but only through putting to use the long diverse as physics and music, metallurgy tradition of knowledge available in Indian and animal husbandry, metaphysics and manuscripts, not only here in India but agriculture, so on so forth. The National across the world. Mission for Manuscripts was created in the year 2003 with a view to preserving and It is a general perception that Indians conserving this knowledge base as well as paid more sustained attention to the disseminating the content of manuscripts spiritual side of life. It is also believed, to scholars and people at large. It has come even though erroneously, that India did a long way since then and has fruitfully not make much progress in the field of contributed to creating a database of what is today known as pure sciences. This more than 30 lac manuscripts, training could not be farther from the truth because National Mission for Manuscripts | Annual Report 2009–2010 3 besides the spiritual side Indians placed I joined the National Mission for equal importance to the material side of Manuscripts as Director in January this life and they developed the pure sciences year. For reasons well known, NMM had to a level of finesse which the modern man been in a state of hibernation during the will need some effort to equal. Let us take period 2007–09. It is a challenging task to the case of metallurgy and we cannot do revive an institution which has, after a kick- without citing the example of the Gupta start, lost its initiative. The very challenge period pillar standing in the courtyard of inspired me to turn around NMM into Qutab Minar. Scientists to date have not an active and vibrant institution. It gives been able to find the formula of creating me immense pleasure to mention that that iron pillar which has not rusted even the labour we collectively put in reviving after centuries of standing in the open. It NMM has started bearing fruits. The report needs no reiteration that Ayurveda is the for the year 2009–10 is in the hands of the only known scientific system in the world readers. I am sure it would not appear to be that can feed mercury to human beings a very disappointing report even though it with beneficial result. The formulations contains the result of work done in almost of Ayurveda speak of a high degree of only three months. advancement in the field of chemistry and This is not to claim that no work was done are a proof of this legacy even to this date. between April, 2007 to December, 2009 but With the whole world worrying about only to reiterate that as is evident from the global warming and other ecological data of work done and results achieved, problems facing the world today, it is most of the work was completed between encouraging to know that India had January to March, 2010. I owe my colleagues discovered solutions to some of these a sense of gratitude and I thank them all problems centuries ago. One needs only to for their unstinted support in my efforts. I delve into the contents of our manuscript look forward to a very bright future of India heritage to find out how Indians had achieved through tapping a source which is devised a system to live in harmony with totally and purely indigenous. nature without damaging ecological balance. Suffice it to say that these are just a thumbnail picture of areas that could benefit from traditional Indian knowledge Prof. Dipti S. Tripathi systems. Director, National Mission for Manuscripts 4 National Mission for Manuscripts | Annual Report 2009–2010 Annual Report of the National Mission for Manuscripts, 2009–2010 he National Mission for Manuscripts The Mission functions through different types (NMM) is the first consolidated national of centres established throughout the country. Teffort for reclaiming India’s inheritance The numbers of centres (category-wise) are as of knowledge contained in the vast treasure follows: of manuscripts. Manuscripts, which contain Manuscript Resource Centres (MRCs) – 46 Manuscript Conservation Centres (MCCs) – 33 centuries of accrued knowledge in such areas Manuscript Partner Centres (MPCs) – 42 as philosophy, sciences, literature, arts and Manuscript Conservation Partner Centres the pluralistic faith systems of India are more (MCPCs) – 300 than just historical records. They represent the collective wisdom and experience of generations of thinkers. The Mission was established in 2003 Programmes and Activities by the Ministry of Tourism and Culture. The I. Documentation major objectives of the Mission are to document, Enriching National Electronic Database of conserve, digitize and disseminate the manuscript Manuscripts resources of the country. National Survey of Manuscripts and Post Survey Programme Expansion and Strengthening of Manuscript Objectives of the Mission Resource Centres (MRCs) Survey, document and catalogue Indian Supporting Manuscript Partner Centres (MPCs) manuscripts, in India and abroad, and II. Manuscript Conservation and Training compile a National Database Expansion of MCC Network Facilitate conservation and preservation of Increase in Manuscript Conservation Partner manuscripts through training, awareness Centres (MCPCs) building and financial support Creation of a National Resource Team of Provide ready access to these manuscripts Conservators Promotion of research programmes through digitization and publication Preventive conservation training Promote scholarship and research in Workshops on Conservation of Rare Support the study of Indian languages and Materials Manuscriptology Establishment of Field Laboratories Set up a National Manuscripts Library Organising MCPC Workshops Conservation of manuscript collections in MRCs National Mission for Manuscripts | Annual Report 2009–2010 Collaboration with Survey and Post Survey Creation of standards and procedures for Collaboration with Digitization Digitization of manuscripts III. Training on Manuscriptology and V. Research and Publication Paleography Tattvabodha: Publication of Collection of Conducting training courses on Lectures Manuscriptology and Paleography Sameekshika: Publication of Collection of Creating trained manpower Seminar Papers Introducing manuscriptlogy courses in Indian Samrakshika: Publication of Collection of Universities Seminar Papers on Conservation Kritibodha: Publication of Critical Edition IV. Documentation through Digitization Series Preservation of the original manuscripts for VI. Outreach Programmes