• The Ministry of Culture established the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) in 2003 during the 10th Five Year Plan to document, conserve, and promote access to Indian manuscripts. 

• The Mission has been restructured with the nomenclature ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’ as a Central Sector Scheme for the period 2024-31 with a total allocation of Rs 482.85 crore. 

The key objectives of the Mission include:

i) Survey and Documentation: Conducting a nationwide survey and registration of manuscripts to maintain a comprehensive record of India’s manuscript wealth.

ii) Conservation and Preservation: Scientific conservation and preventive preservation of manuscripts across repositories in India.

iii) Digitisation: Large-scale digitisation of manuscripts to create a National Digital Manuscripts Library for wider accessibility.

iv) Publication and Research: Editing, translating, and publishing rare and unpublished manuscripts to promote scholarly research.

v) Capacity Building: Organising training programmes in manuscriptology, paleography, and conservation to build expertise.

vi) Outreach and Awareness: Conducting exhibitions, seminars, and cultural programmes to increase public awareness of manuscript heritage.

What is a manuscript?

• A manuscript is a handwritten composition on paper, bark, cloth, metal, palm leaf or any other material that has significant scientific, historical or aesthetic value. 

• The term “manuscript” has its origins in the Latin term “manuscriptus”, which means written by hand.

• Lithographs and printed volumes are not manuscripts.

• Manuscripts are found in hundreds of different languages and scripts. 

• Manuscripts are distinct from historical records such as epigraphs on rocks, firmans, revenue records which provide direct information on events or processes in history.

Significance of this Mission

• Through the Mission, the government is committed to safeguarding India’s invaluable manuscript heritage while ensuring its wider accessibility and academic integration. 

• Significant efforts have been made to digitise manuscripts and make them accessible to the public through online platforms.

• It aims to cover more than one crore manuscripts across the country. 

• The mission includes a comprehensive survey, registration, conservation, and digitization of manuscripts housed in various institutions, libraries, and private collections. 

• So far, approximately 3.5 lakh manuscripts, covering over 3.5 crore folios, have been digitised.

• Over 135,000 manuscripts have been uploaded on the web portal namami.gov.in, with 76,000 manuscripts available for free public access.

• The mission aims to digitise folios in the next five years. 

• The focus is on rare and fragile manuscripts to ensure their long-term preservation.

• The government aims to ensure that India’s manuscript heritage is not only preserved but also actively utilized for academic, cultural, and historical research. 

• Through the ‘Gyan Bharatam Mission’, the government has formulated an expansion plan to enhance public access to India's manuscript heritage. 

Some of the key measures:

i) Working with academic institutions, private collectors, and research organisations to expand the digitisation and dissemination of manuscripts.

ii) Collaborations with universities to promote research and study of manuscripts.

iii) Organising regular exhibitions, workshops, and manuscript festivals to engage scholars and the public. 

iv) Creating a pool of new generation of manuscriptologists.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)