GUWAHATI, Nov 2 ? Ancient manuscripts and documents that are a virtual treasure trove of the State?s rich heritage and could throw much light on the State?s past, are fast decaying and vanishing for want of care and attention.
Majority of the manuscripts, mostly scripts written on sanchi leaves, are traditionally owned and kept in private households, and the owners are generally disinclined to part with their precious possessions because of superstitious reasons.
These are invariably regarded as symbols of good luck that keep the evil at bay. But when these start to get disintegrated for want of scientific preservation, keeping the same within the households becomes a bad omen that could bring misfortune and misery to the families.
The Directorate of Historical and Antiquarian Studies (DHAS) that has been engaged in the collection and preservation of ancient manuscripts, among other antique materials, is finding few takers to its repeated appeals to the public, seeking ancient manuscripts in exchange for a price.
?Superstitions associated with manuscripts prevent people from parting with them,? DHAS Director Dr Jiten Das said, adding that ?ironically, when these get decayed, many people would rather offer the manuscripts to the river god ceremoniously than giving these to us.?
The DHAS has received a Central assistance of Rs 5 lakh besides the State share of Rs 1.67 lakh for collection and cataloguing of ancient manuscripts and antique materials. ?We are offering a just price for each and every manuscript as well as other materials. But the response of the people has not at all been encouraging, especially with regard to sanchi manuscripts (known as Sanchipator Puthi in Assamese),? he said.
?This is despite the DHAS?s regular appeals to the public and the motivational drives conducted from time to time,? Dr Das said. As the manuscript owners do not have the necessary infrastructure and expertise to preserve the materials in a scientific manner, it quickens the decaying process and ultimately the materials get lost forever. ?And the resultant loss is significant, considering their antique value,? he added.
Elaborating on the historic and antique value of the manuscripts, Dr Das said that that such manuscripts could often lead to the discovery of hitherto unknown facts of history and throw new light on different aspects of the State?s history. ?Often, these materials are the social and religious documents of different periods of history,? he said.
The DHAS that has been active since 1928, has a collection of about 3,000 sanchi manuscripts besides a number of other antique materials. ?Had the people been more cooperative, we would have had a much bigger collection,? Dr Das said and added that the last four years had seen the collection of around 400 manuscripts.
Notable among the antique objects preserved by the DHAS is the biggest copper plate of the State, dating back to the seventh century when it was ruled by the great king, Bhaskar Barman. Old documents, scripts and coins form a major part of the DHAS?s collection.
As part of its drive to create awareness regarding the State?s ancient history and heritage, the DHAS occasionally brings out publications on relevant themes and subjects.
?We have brought out two books this year ? History of Assamese Nepalis and Catalogue of Tiwa Manuscripts,? he revealed. ?An amount of Rs 4 lakh has been earmarked for publicity and we plan to publish eight more books very soon,? he said.