InFocus
History, Thomas Carlyle famously said, is our chief inheritance. And, at the Telangana State Archives and Research Centre (TSARI), albeit a tad late, efforts are underway to digitise and preserve lakhs of folios dating back to the medieval and modern periods of this very history.
After several months of deliberations with the Higher Education Department and even correspondence with the Centre, the TSARI entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Noor Microfilm International Centre (NMIC), a Delhi-based Islamic Republic of Iran-backed institute renowned for its repertoire and expertise in preserving and mending documents of immense historical significance.
Documents in Persian
The TSARI is a repository of records which date back to 1406 CE. It houses around 43 million documents, a vast majority of which are in Persian.
“This is our effort to preserve documents that are in Persian. It is the common culture and heritage of both the countries”Ali Akbar NiroomandRegional Director, NMIC
“Persian is the language of Iran and was widely used in India,” says Ali Akbar Niroomand, Regional Director, NMIC, as he names dynasties where Persian was the official language. “This is our effort to preserve documents that are in Persian. It is the common culture and heritage of both the countries.”
Work done so far
Since last September, when the MoU was signed, the NMIC has preserved and digitised a staggering 4 lakh documents. And given that many documents at the TSARI fell prey to the vagaries of the weather or termites or were ignored by the institution for a frequent want of funds, about 80,000 have been repaired.
Around 670 manuscripts in Persian, Arabic and Urdu also have been digitised. These deal with the history of the Deccan, ‘how fiqh’ (Islamic jurisprudence) was applied in India, and on ‘tasawwuf’ – Islamic spirituality and mysticism.
Also read: Digitisation and preservation of archival documents in full swing
“We have finished preserving and digitising documents belonging to Mughal king Shahjahan’s reign. Work on documents from Auragzeb’s reign is currently in progress. Firmans of the sixth Nizam Mir Mahboob Ali Khan and Seventh Nizam, corresponding to 1901 to 1948, have been digitised,” Mr. Niroomand said.
How it is done
The conservation methods are herbal, and the digitisation process is fairly simple but effective. High-resolution cameras with lenses pointed downwards are placed on mounts inside the top of well-illuminated cabinets. Each camera is connected to a laptop. The user places a folio under the lens and uses the laptop to trigger the camera, which captures the image. The image is now stored in a folder on the laptop. Images are then collated, and each folder is a digital replica of the original file.
“First, the documents come to the digitisation section. If they are in good shape, they are immediately digitised. If there is damage, they go to the repair section. Once mended, they are sent back for digitisation. The original document then goes back to the section in the archives from where it came,” says Habeeb Ashraf, who is an expert, along with Rizwan, in document preservation.
Preservation techniques
As regards preservation techniques, the NIMC uses what they say is a special handmade paper, which is insect-resistant, chiffon material, and herbal glue. Folios are soaked in it for a few minutes. “Our Director Dr. Mahdi Khajeh Piri came up with the paper and glue that increase the document’s longevity. In other cases the documents break after becoming brittle and crisp like a wafer,” says Mr. Niroomand as he crumples with his hand one such folio in one instant and smoothens it with the palm of his other hand.
TSARI officials said that after Persian, there are lakhs of Urdu documents. This was on account of a policy change post-1885 when Urdu became the official language. Many documents are in English too.
“Cataloguing of these documents is also a part of the agreement. This will ensure better access and understanding of records. Scholars and researchers can come here and access the digitised files,” a TSARI official said.
Published - March 11, 2023 07:50 am IST
