Ancient Sanskrit Documents in dust

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Manuscripts Gathering Dust At Cu Library

 

FROM STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

 

INDIA, Apr 16 (VNN) — SWAGATA GHOSH - STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

 

KOLKATA, April 2. - There are some 40,000 manuscripts including quite

a few on palm leaves - many in gold and silver lettering - lying in

dust and darkness in one corner of the first floor of Darbhanga

Building in Calcutta University's College Street campus.

 

There are funds to preserve and catalogue them. There is an assistant

librarian too, to take care of the university's "unique" Manuscript

Library.

 

Only the authorities are not bothered.

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"The library has over 20,000 Sanskrit, 12,000 Tibetan and Bengali and

several Persian and Arabic manuscripts."

 

 

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The library has over 20,000 Sanskrit, 12,000 Tibetan and Bengali and

several Persian and Arabic manuscripts. Many are the only ones of

their kind in the state and some a rarity in India.

 

"This doesn't mean much to people here," said the library in-charge,

Dr Ratna Basu.

 

The National Archives had sanctioned Rs 75,000 in 1998-99 for "steel

cupboards and glass cases" to preserve the manuscripts. The money

remains unused because repeated requests to the university

authorities to provide space for the furniture to be bought have

fallen on deaf ears.

 

"I told the authorities that even a temporary arrangement in the

verandah would do, but they kept silent," Dr Basu said.

 

But the deputy registrar, Mr Mihir Ranjan Ghosh Dastidar, denies that

there is a space crunch. "We'll sort the problem out with the library

shortly," he said.

 

However, there's more to this than just unused grants and lack of

space. The National Archive's grant also provides for stipends of two

scholars to work on the cataloguing of the manuscripts. "With no

money this year and even next, I'll have to do with just one

scholar," Dr Basu says.

 

The library shares its room with the CITU backed employees' co-

operative office and wooden almirahs double up as walls between the

two sections. A move to construct a dividing wall four years back,

was abruptly stalled after union members disrupted work because

of "dust being blown all over the place."

 

There's more lying idle than just the manuscripts. Twenty cartons of

naphthalene bricks, bought to preserve the manuscripts, are lying

unused.

 

That which isn't idle is altogether absent. One and a half years

back, Mr Aurobindo Maity was appointed assistant librarian

(manuscripts and historical documents) - a lecturer grade post - but

has not reported for duty at the library ever since. During this

period, he had worked in the university's central library and is

presently working in the Computer Science library at Rajabazar

Science College.

 

Mr Ghosh Dastidar said: "The university can transfer him as

required." Is the post vacant, then? "Legally, no. It's just that the

university thinks he would be much more useful there."

 

Another post for keeper has been vacant for nearly seven years.

Together, this ensures that Dr Basu is in charge of administration,

maintenance of records, correspondence, meetings, accounts and even

vigilance.

 

What happens when the library in charge is alone and has to take her

classes? Naturally, the library remains closed.