Challenges of National Mission For Manuscripts
- India’s rich manuscript collection is estimated to be around 10 million, possibly the largest collection of manuscripts in the world.
- Manuscripts have been found in various languages and scripts, many of which are no longer legible.
- Manuscripts are stored in various types of repositories, ranging from museums and educational institutions to private homes and places of worship, large and small.
- Manuscripts are often found lying around for decades and in very poor condition, and perhaps most critically.
- There is not much connection between so-called “modern knowledge” and the knowledge contained in manuscripts. Scholars who can study and use manuscripts are rapidly disappearing, and new generations of scholars are unable to meet the challenge.
- Manuscript knowledge is often not considered up-to-date. Given the current global interest in traditional medical systems such as Ayurveda and Unani, architectural sciences such as Vastu his Shastras, and older norms of literature and philosophy, the search for manuscripts is revived.
- But more importantly, the manuscript must be preserved because of its importance as a record of India’s past, society, culture, and politics and as a record of India’s memory.
What is National Mission For Manuscripts?
The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) is a government-funded program in India that aims to preserve, document and disseminate the country’s rich manuscript heritage. Established in 2003, the mission works to identify, document, and digitize manuscripts across various languages and scripts, making them accessible to researchers, scholars, and the general public. The NMM also promotes the study and research of manuscripts and organizes exhibitions and workshops to raise awareness about the importance of preserving this cultural heritage. Overall, The National Mission for Manuscripts is an initiative to safeguard, conserve and revitalize the rich manuscript heritage of India.