Context:
Union Minister for Culture and Tourism informed that it established the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) in 2003 during the 10th Five-Year Plan to document, conserve, and promote access to Indian manuscripts.
More On News:
- The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) is currently part of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), which funds the organization.
- The NMM uses technology, with support from IGNCA, to preserve and digitize manuscripts.
- The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) was launched in 2003 during the 10th Five-Year Plan to document, preserve, and make Indian manuscripts more accessible.
- An expert committee evaluated the scheme and recommended it continue with a wider scope and direct oversight by the Ministry.
About NMM:
- The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) is a unique project focused on uncovering and preserving India’s vast manuscript heritage.
- India has an estimated ten million manuscripts, possibly the largest collection in the world, covering various themes, scripts, languages, and artistic elements.
- The mission aims to identify, document, conserve, andmake these manuscripts accessible to the public.
- NMM addresses the urgent challenge of preserving manuscripts that are often in poor condition.
- It is a national initiative dedicated to conserving manuscripts and sharing the knowledge they contain.
- NMM’s motto is “conserving the past for the future.”
Key achievements of the mission:
- Documented around 5.2 million manuscripts across the country.
- Conserved 90 million folios of manuscripts.
- Digitized 3.5 lakh manuscripts, totaling 3.5 crore pages.
- Conducted over 100 conservation workshops.
- Uploaded about 1.4 lakh manuscripts to its web portal, with 75,000 available online for free access to researchers and the public.
- Published more than 100 books since its inception.
- To achieve this directive, the mission has established more than 100 Manuscripts Resource Centres and Manuscripts Conservation Centres all over India.
What is a Manuscript?
- A manuscript is a handwritten document on materials like paper, bark, cloth, metal, or palm leaf, typically over 75 years old, and holds scientific, historical, or aesthetic value.
- Lithographs and printed books are not considered manuscripts.
- Manuscripts are written in various languages and scripts, and one language can be written in multiple scripts. For example, Sanskrit is written in scripts like Oriya, Grantha, and Devanagari.
- Manuscripts differ from historical records like inscriptions, royal orders, or revenue records, as they contain knowledge rather than direct historical events or processes.