DOCUMENTATION OF MANUSCRIPTS
A National Mission
has been launched to locate, enumerate, preserve and catalogue
Indian manuscripts within the country and abroad with a view to
enhancing their access and conserving them for posterity.
A National Manuscripts
Library is to be set up in Indira Gandhi National Centre for the
Arts, New Delhi as a part of the Mission’s activities. The LPibrary
is to be the central repository for original and microfilmed copies
of all Indian manuscripts.
Under the National
Mission, manuscripts will be documented and preserved by adopting
a multi-pronged strategy which include spreading public awareness,
surveys on extending need-based infrastructural support to the
major custodial institutions, conservation, micro-filming, digitisation
and cataloguing. A National Empowered Committee under the chairmanship
of the Minister-in-charge of Culture and the Executive Committee
under the chairmanship of Secretary (Culture) have been constituted
to provide policy advice, guidance, prepare action plans and evolve
procedures for implementation of the objectives of the National
Mission for Manuscripts.
Prior to Independence,
a large number of cultural objects including manuscripts had moved
from the Indian sub-continent to different parts of the world.
These objects are scattered among innumerable museums and private
collections. There was no international covenant for the restitution
of such objects.
The Antiquities
(Export Control) Act, was promulgated in 1947. It was succeeded
by the enactment of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972.
Under this Act, illegal export of manuscripts is a crime. Moreover,
registration of manuscripts is mandatory under this Act. In respect
of the countries which are signatories to the UNESCO Convention
on "Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Imports,
Exports and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property",
action can be initiated as per the provisions of the Convention.
India is a signatory to this Convention. The Archaeological Survey
of India has been taking action wherever instances of objects
taken illegally out of the country have come to its notice.(PIB
Features)
