TN to formulate manuscript mission by going digital

Delivering his reply on the demand on grants on Art and Culture, Museums and Archaelogy, Minister said, “For the benefit of future generations, the manuscripts lying with individuals and organisations would be digitised. For this purpose, ‘State Manuscript Mission’ will be formed and a total of Rs 60 lakh has been allotted for the mission.”

He also said that in the first phase, Rs 10 lakh would be allotted and in the subsequent years, remaining Rs 50 lakh would be utilised for the mission.

The Government Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Centre, which was established in the year 1869, is now located at Anna Centenary Library. The library has a huge collection of 72,748 rate manuscripts on various subjects including Astronomy, Siddha, Ayurvedha, Music, Architecture, Mathematics and History.

Around, 3 lakh pages in 2,400 manuscript bundles have been digitised in library and are available inwww.tnarch.gov.in.

National Manuscript Mission, working under the Union Ministry of Culture has recognised the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library as a ‘Manuscript Resource Centre’ for collecting the manuscripts in Tamil Nadu and listing them for conversion into electronic form. “Till date, 66,110 manuscripts have been documented in electronic form and had been sent to National Mission for Manuscripts,” said Pandiarajan. He further announced that National Mission for Manuscripts had approved to open a ‘Manuscripts Conservation Centre’ at the GOML & RC, Chennai.