Ancient Urdu manuscripts decay in AP State Archives

Hyderabad: 

The deteriorating condition of archival material at the AP State Archives and Research Institute (SARI) is now taking a toll on scholars. A recent case in point is that of Prof Y Vaikuntum, former vice-chancellor of Kakatiya University, who became unconscious allegedly after handling some old stinking documents last week. The incident has yet again brought to the fore the government's disposition in allowing the old records, mostly documents on paper, to rot in neglect.

The SARI is considered one of the biggest repositories in India with its Urdu and Persian documents exceeding 50 million in number. Its pride is the unbroken chain of administrative records from the year 1724. The oldest document in its possession dates backto early 15th century. A primary source for works on Hyderabad and the Deccan in general, the archives have to make to do with an annual budget of Rs 20 lakh not including staff salaries. In addition to the severe fund crunch the staffing pattern is also bothersome. Of the 186 cadre strength only 86 positions are occupied. Vacancies exist in all the 10 sections of the archives of which four sections deal with records. The binding and preservation sections which play a crucial role in the preseveration of fragile time-worn documents are severely short-staffed.

The government had early this year agreed for a digitization project of the archives. The one-year project was sanctioned at a cost of Rs 2 crore. Funds to the tune of Rs 50 lakh were released for quarter at the start of the financial year but work on the ambitious project hasn't begun yet. According to sources, the government is yet to finalize the terms of the tender to fix an agency to carry out the work. The duration of the project is one year. The digitization project was sanctioned as a conservation measure that could also make information easily accessible.

When Vaikuntum was contacted regarding his loosing consciousness while handling materials at the archive on September 14, he surmised that the repositories are treasures in neglect. "The incident happened when I was handling some documents in the afternoon. I felt uneasy and became unconscious for a couple of minutes. Comprehensive medical tests were carried out on me to rule out any medical problem," he said. He also complained of infection and unpleasant odour in the repository and following the incident the archive authorities have taken up fumigation of a few documents that are to be handled by Vaikuntum and his team.

Vaikuntum was awarded the Tagore National Fellowship for Cultural Research for 2012-14 and is associated with the state archives for his work title "Regionalizing Oriental Culture: Ideas, Landscapes and Hyderabad State" which deals with the effect of cultural influence that Nizam and the British had on each other.

Noted historian and founder director of the archives, V K Bawa said that more interest should be shown by the government towards history and culture. "I am told that the budget allocated is insufficient. The neglect of archives is however not restricted to Hyderabad. The NationalArchives should consider sending an officer to examine the present condition and chart a course of action," he said.

Officials of the state archives maintained that the incident may not have happened due to the records but admitted that staff and fund shortage was affecting the quality of service being provided to the scholars. "The incident may have happened due to many other factors. We have written to the government on many occasions asking for additional funds and staff. Facilities like centralized air conditioning to better preserve the documents which are common in western countries, are required but they are expensive. The government is not willing to spend that kind of money," said a senior official.

Another official said that recently plaster on the ceiling, where the staff in the repository sit, fell creating panic among the employees. No maintenance work at the repository and other parts of the building has been carried out for a long time, he said.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / by Rohit P S, TNN / September 18th, 2012