The most valuable records, which are languishing in private hands, go a long way in the process of nation-building efforts
By KSS SESHAN
The government of India in the late 1990s launched a National Mission for Manuscripts to identify, collect and preserve records of historical importance for posterity. An amount of Rs 35 crore was earmarked for this endeavour.
The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts was named as the nodal agency to monitor the mission. Though the project was launched nearly three decades ago, no considerable progress has been made in that direction so far. For the reconstruction of any historical account, the most essential ingredients are the documents and recorded evidence. These are mostly in the form of governmental records, policy decisions, government orders, court judgements, correspondence between ministries, minutes of the cabinet meetings. In short, every act of the government that is recorded, is preserved for further reference and use. All such records worthy of preservation are kept at the designated archives. These archival repositories which preserve governmental records of the past also house private records and documents of historical importance.
Three-tier Organisation
Archives in India are of a three-tier organisation. They are organised at the national, State and regional levels. The National Archives, the apex body in the national capital, houses all government of India’s records, foreign policy statements, diplomatic correspondence and records related to international relations. The government of India’s administrative policy documents are also preserved here. The State Archives in every State headquarters preserves records about every department of the State concerned. The regional archival centres, which are in a few administrative regions within a State, house records of the district, mandal/tehsil or taluk administration. In fact, the local records constructed at the village and regional levels form part of the regional archives. Most often, archives are misunderstood and considered synonymous with libraries. While the library preserves the published books, archives preserve the primary and basic records which are essential to writing such books. Libraries serve the general reading public while archives exist for the specific purpose of researchers and the government’s day-to-day administrative guidance. A library when it lacks patronage and encouragement from the public may become redundant and face closure but an archival centre stands on its own and continues for its intrinsic value whether people use it or not.
Corporate Initiatives
As the records play an important role in preserving the history and legacy of the administrative body that created such documents, several corporate houses in India in recent years have set up their private archival cells. The Tata group, for example, has established the Tata Central Archives at Pune where all the significant documents about the group companies are preserved. These include photos, artefacts, souvenirs, awards and models of their products from the past. It will be a great day when other corporate bodies emulate the Tata group in establishing their own archival cells.
Records pertaining to India are also found preserved in several organisations in foreign countries. For example, a large fund of records is found in South-East Asian countries as well as in Europe on Indian history and culture. It is well-known that the Indian Institute Library in Oxford, one of the four constituents of the Bodleian Library, has very valuable records of British rule in India. In fact, any research on India’s colonial history will never be complete without consulting the records preserved at the Indian Institute Library. Similarly, the India Office Library, now part of the British Library, in London, contains several lakhs of important records about India’s past. There are also the Dutch and the French records in abundance on Indian affairs. It is necessary that these records are made known to Indian scholars. Similarly, in France, Portugal and the Netherlands, the erstwhile colonial powers, historical records of great value are preserved.
Private Treasure
However, there are several records of historical importance in the custody of private individuals and their households, which do not fall under the purview of the government-owned archives. It is estimated that there are nearly five million manuscripts within India, that are in the custody of private individuals which have a great bearing on the history, culture and heritage of the country. Most important are the family records that some prominent rural families possess regarding their genealogy, the family tree, accomplishments and migrations. They also hold account books, income and expenditure records, and price lists of articles and commodities of the past that throw invaluable light on the economic situation of those times. The erstwhile maharajas, zamindars and the local chiefs in India played a decisive role as administrators having had rights of life and death over the people in their jurisdiction. The records they left naturally are significant in reconstructing the history of those times.
The Pravara narratives, the Jamabandi records, the Retained Disposals (RDs) and the field maps of the zamindari lands, Chekkubandi, throw light on the administrative system of that period. Similarly, there are several families of freedom fighters and war veterans who possess valuable records of their ancestors who made great sacrifices for the country through their services. There is every need to collect and preserve such records. Records collected at the micro level will go a long way in reconstructing the nation’s history from the right perspective. Most of the documents in the possession of private individuals are neither catalogued nor publicised. They are not even accessible. As these documents are considered sacred and secret, and the people possessing such records will not be easily willing to part with them. But given the importance that such records wield in the understanding of our past, the government should encourage such people to come forward and present their documents for broadening the national database. Any attempt to force them to part with their manuscripts will only defeat the very purpose of the efforts. In cases where they are willing to part with or sell, the government should procure them. In other cases, the records could be scanned with due authorisation and preserved for use.
A National Manuscript Documentation Centre with all the modern facilities should be established and the manuscripts thus collected should be preserved in it. The records should be scientifically mended and catalogued. Digitisation could help. The most valuable records, which are languishing at present in the private hands, will be lost forever if steps are not taken now to collect them. This treasure will heighten our knowledge of our rich past and cultural mores. The records of this type go a long way in the process of nation-building efforts and are eloquent testimonies of our rich heritage.