Union Government Proposes To Host First-Ever International Manuscript Heritage Conference

New Delhi: The Union government has proposed to host the first-ever international Manuscript Heritage Conference titled ‘Reclaiming India’s Knowledge Legacy Through Manuscript Heritage’ in September this year. This event is planned to commemorate the 132nd Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda's historic address at the Parliament of the World's Religions held in Chicago on September 11, 1893.

Informed the Lok Sabha on Monday, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, said the conference aims to bring together scholars, historians, manuscript experts and cultural practitioners from across the world to explore, preserve, and promote India’s vast and diverse Manuscript Heritage.

The government has taken several measures to preserve and promote India’s rich manuscript heritage. Such as establishing and supporting institutions like the ‘Gyan Bharatam’ that works towards the documentation, conservation, digitisation, and publication of rare and unpublished manuscripts across the country, organising seminars, workshops, and conferences to raise awareness about the importance of manuscript heritage and to encourage research and collaboration.

“Supporting regional and local efforts to document and preserve manuscripts in various languages and scripts. National and International MoUs with Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan,” the Minister stated.

These initiatives aim to safeguard India’s invaluable manuscript legacy and ensure it continues to contribute to the nation’s cultural and intellectual heritage.

Since 2003, a total of 3.50 lakh Manuscripts has been digitized. There are 92 Manuscript Conservation Centres established so far, of which 42 are presently active. Additionally, there are 93 Manuscript Resource Centres, with 37 currently active, Shekhawat added.

Key themes and focus areas of the conference:

• Decipherment of Ancient Scripts: Indus, Gilgit and Sankha
• Survey, Documentation, Metadata Standards and Digital Archiving
• Manuscriptology and Paleography, Codicology
• Digitization Tools, Platforms, and Protocols (HTR, AI, IIIF)
• Conservation and Restoration of Manuscripts
• Decoding Manuscripts: Pathways to the Indian Knowledge System
• Manuscripts as Tools of Cultural Diplomacy
• Legal and Ethical Frameworks for Manuscript Preservation and Access

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