ARCHIVES AND RECORDS
Under the Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules, the work pertaining to the Central Libraries of national importance, the Delivery of Books Act and publication of rare manuscripts is assigned to the Depart- ment of Culture. The Central Government cannot make a law for a library system for the country as a whole as the Subject "Libraries" is included in the State List. The Central Government has jurisdiction only over libraries established by the Central Government and institutions of national import- ance declared so by the Central Government. However, it takes initiative to secure the voluntary cooperation of the State Governments and to pro- mote a coordinated development of national, State and 'other libraries. Funds for such an integrated development form part of Central and State Five Year Plans. The Central Government also provides financial assist- ance to libraries in various parts of the country for certain approved pur- poses like purchase of books, furniture and equipment and construction of buildings.
Manuscripts constitute an important part of the 'rich Indian Cultural Heritage. These are the major repositories of the contribution that our predecessors made in the diverse fields of religion, philosophy, astronomy, literature, history, medicine and science. They constitute the primary source of reconstruction of India's past.
The Department has introduced a Scheme of financial assistance to voluntary organisations, educational institutions, libraries, museums and universities for preservation, listing, cataloguing , evaluation, publication etc. of manuscripts. The Department of Culture has also taken over under Act of Parliament, the Rampur Raza Library, Rampur, and Khuda Baksh Oriental Public Library, Patna, which contain a rich collection of manuscripts in Arabic, Persian and Urdu. In addition, proper care of manuscripts is also being taken in museums, libraries and other such institutions which are under the control of Central and State Governments.
The National Archives of India is the biggest repository of Government records and other archival material in the country. It receives public records of any public office or Organisation or papers of historical value. It tends advice and assistance to various State Archives for the proper maintenance and preservation of valuable documents and records and provides research facilities to the scholars. It also imparts training in Archives through its Archival Training School.
Accessions
National Archives of India (b) Private Papers.-Till October 1981 the acquisitions comprised (1) One letter bearing the signatures of some terrorists in Lahore Jail from Shri M. K. Hukku; (2) 4 photographs and 2 books relating to revolutionaries from Comrade Ram Chandra; (3) 10 photographs of Maharaja of Alwar, Jung Bahadur of Nepal and his two Maharanis and Maharaja of Jaipur from Richard Cutts (Mrs.); (4) 14 pages of the book "Sansmiritiya"; (5) 59 xerox. copies relating to the Hindustan Socialist Republican Association from Shri Phul Chand Jain; (6) Photo-copies of 3 issues (1971-73) of monthly Magazine "Balidan" (Urdu) containing articles and poems on Bhagat Singh from Sh. Jaidev Thapar; (7) 270 additional items of private papers received from Gen. K. M. Cariappa (Retd.); (8) Six folders and one envelope containing different denominations of Bank/Currency notes received through President's Secretariat, Rashtrapati Bhawan.
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(c) Microfilms.__(1) One roll of T.S. Hatfull's Journal of Voyage taken in the 'Cornwal East India Man' 1839 was received from Australia under the Cultural Exchange Programme; (2) Three, rolls and 3 micro-copies of records of Indian interest were received from Czechoslovakia; (3) Three rolls pertaining to activities of Subhash Chandra Bose were obtained from India Office Library and Records, London; (4) 334 rolls of Home Miscel- laneous series were purchased from the University Microfilm International, Michigan, U.S.A,; (5) 'Twenty rolls of Factory Records (Dinajpur, 1974- 78), Ft. St. George (1655-90) were received from India Office Library kind Records; (6) Eleven rolls relating to, India were received from Federal Republic of Germany.
Records and Archives Management
(a) Appraisal.-A total of 43,894 non-current records of various, Ministries. and Departments of the Government of India were appraised. Of these 24,882 files were recommended for permanent retention.
(b) Implementation of Archival Policy Resolution.-The Eighth Report of the Director of Archives (1980-81) was approved by the Department of Culture and sent for printing.
(c) Retention Schedules.-Retention Schedules of the Department of Civil Aviation, Ganga Water Basin Resources Organisation, Directorate of Field Publicity, Offices of C.D.A. (Officers) (SC), and Ministry of Infor- mation and Broadcasting were finalised.
Research and Reference.-Research facilities were provided to 810 scholars and 74 search cases from public and private agencies were attended to.
Publication.-Fort William-India House Correspondence Vol. VIII, The Indian Archives, Vol. XXX, No. 1 and Annual Report of National Archives of India, 1980 were published.
Finding Aids.-(a) Descriptive listing of 14,968 files belonging to Bhopal, Phopawar Bundelkhand-and Baghelkhand Agencies was completed; (b) Reference media in respect of 2607 items of Dr. Rajendra Prasad, Dada- bhai Naoroji and Gen. K. M. Cariappa papers was prepared; (c) 536 letters relating to Vol. XII of Calendar of Persian Correspondence (1796-1800) were collated; (d) Compilation of the Parts VI & VII of the Guide to Records in the National Archives of India was continued.
Technical Services.-(a) Reprography-1,43,310 exposures of micro- films and 13,382 xerox copies were prepared; (b) Conservation-Lamina- tion of 15,293 sheets, repair of 25,137 sheets, mounting of 128 maps and binding of 593 volumes and 102 registers etc. were completed.
Exhibitions, Lectures and Seminars.-(a) Exhibitions-The following exhibitions were organized : (1) 'Proscribed Patriotic Poems and Posters' from August 15-24, 1981. It was visited by the Prime Minister Mrs, Indira Gandhi and Union Home Minister, Giani Zail Singh. (2) 'Our Archives and our Neighbours' from October 13-17, 1981. It was inaugurated by Shri L. K. Jha. (3) 'Capital Cities of India' was organised on the occasion of 47th Session of the Indian Historical Records Commission. (b) Lec- tures-The following lectures were delivered : (1 ) 'The Source of Indian Tradition by Prof. A. Embree of Columbia University. U.S.A. (2) 'Maulana Mohammad Ali and the Congress' by Dr. Mushirul Hasan of Jamia Milia Tslamia Delhi. (3) 'Symbolic Significance of Dastar (Turban) in Sufi Tradi- tion' by Dr. R. M. Eaton of Arizona University, U.S.A., (c) Seminars-An International Seminar on 'Disposition of Government Records' was held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi from October 12-16, 1981 under the joint auspices of National Archives of India and International Council on Archives. The countries which participated in the Seminar were Afghanistan, Bangla- desh, Burma, Iraq, Malaysia, Nepal Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Mr. Charles Keckskemeti, Executive Secretary, International Council on Archives also attended the Seminar.
International Relations-(1) The Director of Archives attended the XX International Round Table on Archives at Oslo (Norway) from September 3-7-1981. the Executive Committee Meeting of the International Council on Archives held at The Hague from September 8-12, 1981 and
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the Regional Co-ordinating Committee Meeting of the Guide to the Sources
of Asian History at Colombo from October 6-9, 1981. (2) Shri P. IC
Ghosh, Archivist was deputed to Ottawa to attend the Training Course in
Record Management organized by Public Archives of Canada from October
5-31, 1981 under UNESCO assistance.
Archival Training.-The result of the one-year Diploma Course in Archi-
val Studies, 1980-81 session was declared and the 1981-82 session com-
menced from August 20, 1981.
Committees and Conferences(1) The Director of Archives visited
Srinagar and Panjim to attend the meeting of the purchase Committee of
Persian Rare Manuscripts and the 2nd meeting of the National Guide Com-
mittee respectively. (2) The 47th Session of the Indian Historical Records
Commission was held on May 19-20, 1981 at Delhi. The session was in-
auguratcd by Union Home Minister and the Presidential Address was deli-
vered by Union Minister of Education and Culture.
Khuda Baksh Oriental Public One of the 'richest collections of Arabic and Persian manuscripts and
Library, Patna Moghul und Central Asian Paintings presently possessing some 75,000
printed books, 14,000 manuscripts and 2,000 paintings, the Khuda Baksh
Library is fast becoming a centre for preserving and disseminating knowledge
in its special field of Arabic and Persian learning and Islamic and Medieval
Indian Studies.
Founded in 1891 by Khuda Baksh and taken over by the Government
of India in 1970, the library is now functioning in five different dimensions.
(i) Reference Service is well organised, the average for the year reaching
around 500 postal and 4,000 spot replies; (ii) A concerted effort to obtain
the fast perishing manuscripts' wealth continues, the acquisition figure reach-
ing around 80 this year; (iii) Preservation of the holdings is being perform-
ed by trained hands through mechanical, chemical, physical and binding
processes. In the last named process hand lamination is being done by
trained personnels; (iv) Towards disseminating knowledge, the time honour-
ed 75 years old project of descriptive Cataloguing of the manuscripts is in
progress and the compilation of the 35th and 36th volumes of the Descrip-
tive Catalogue has been finalised this year. Of the earlier 34 volumes, the
last one appearing in 1980-81, two out-of-print volumes have been repro-
duced this year with necessary additions and corrections; (v) The manu-
scripts and rare materials of the library are being brought out in critical
editions, the emphasis in the year being on the discovery of forgotten docu-
ments of the freedom struggle with special emphasis to the socio-political
scene in the second decade of the century culminating into Montague-
Chelmsford Reforms. Several original writings of Pt. Motilal Nehru, Sir
Tej Bahadur Sapru, Lala Lajpat Rai, Pt. Kishan Prasad Kaul, Pt. Braj
Narain Chakbast have been reproduced in several hundred pages. Indian
reaction to Soviet Revolution of 1917 in the years 1918-20 have also been
reproduced as valuable documents. The total number of this and other
research material scattered through the pages of quarterly Khuda Bakhsh
Library Journal is spread over some one thousand pages.
Lastly, to house the growing organism as the library is, the present build-
ing is being extended, and two floors have already been completed with the
third and the last to be shortly completed. A Preservation Laboratory and
a Research and Publication Unit will also be started soon after the extension
building is banded over to the Library.
T.M.S.S.M. Library, The Tanjore Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswati Mahal Library was described
Thanjavur by Dr. Burnell "to be perhaps the best and most important in the world".
It had its roots in the time of the Imperial Cholas and was subsequently
revived by the Thanjavur Naiks of the Vijayanagar Empire, and was greatly
developed in the early part of the nineteenth century by Maharaja Serfoji.
The Government of Madras took possession of the Library on October 5,
1918 under the Charitable Endowments Act and formed a committee for
its management. The library has a rich collection of about 40,000 manu-
scripts in Sanskrit, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu and other languages, besides a
collection of over 23,000 books in the Indian and European languages
coverings various disciplines. The Government is actively engaged in consi-
dering all possible solutions to achieve fuller development of the library
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either by declaring it as an Institution of National Importance or by other
method. The Central Government is at present giving Plan grants in pur-
suance of the recommendations of a committee set up in 1977.
Rampur Raza Library This library is one of the richest collections of India with holdings of
15,000 manuscripts, 30 miniature paintings and quite a large number of rare
and out of print material in the form, of books and journals. The library
is famous throughout the world of Oriental and Islamic Scholarship due to
its rare manuscripts and because of the help, facilities and hospitality ren-
dered to the scholars during their stay and study at Rampur.
This library is the first library of India introducing publication of rare
material from its collection for the benefit of the scholars. The publication
scheme was started in 1937. Recently under the same scheme, the library
published a critical edition of the oldest manuscript on the subject of the
style of writing Holy Quran which is known as "Kitabul Maqtuwal Mausul".
The library is also paying attention to the preservation of the rare manuscripts
etc. and also to the preparation of catalogues of Arabic and Persian manu-
scripts and paintings. The library is fully financed by the Central Govern-
ment. It also receives an annual grant of Rs. 48,000 from the Government
of Uttar Pradesh. The library was declared as an "Institution of National
Importance" through an enactment in 1975.
Preservation of Manuscripts The Scheme of financial assistance for the preservation of manuscripts
launched from 1980-81 has been continued in the current year. It provides
financial assistance to voluntary organisations, universities, including deemed
universities/libraries,, museums, etc. for cataloguing, editing, preservation,
publication etc., of rare manuscripts. The main objective of the scheme is
to preserve the rich cultural heritage of India in the form of rare manuscripts.
Apart from the fresh applications received during 1981-82, the left over
institutions which could not be given grants during 1980-81 for want of
certain details are being taken up for consideration this year. The maximum
grant admissible under the scheme is Rs. 2.00 lakhs for each approved
project. The grant is in the ratio 75 : 25 Central Government's share being
limited to 75% of the approved cost of the project.
Fellowships covering different The scheme has -been introduced to promote the study of extinct langu-
Disciplines and Fields including ages and scripts in which the, expertise is fast dwindling. Fellowships under
Epiraphy, Paleography, Extinct the scheme of the value of Rs. 600 per month tenable for 2 years are awarded
Languages, Ancient Scripts to 10 scholars every year for higher studies/research in Epigraphy, Paleo-
and Numismatics graphy, Extinct Languages, Ancient Scripts, Numismatics etc.
Asiatic Society, Calcutta The Asiatic Society, Calcutta was founded in 1784 with the object of
enquiring into the history, the antiquities, arts, sciences of literature of Asia.
The Institute has proved to be the fountain head of all library and scientific
activities in India and the parent of all other Asiatic Societies. Its declared
objects are to conduct research into matters which are largely cultural and
sociological with special bearing on Indology. The Society is being assisted,
by the State Government of West Bengal__and the Centre on 50 : 50 basis.