Former Prime Minister of India - Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee's Speech at the launching of National Mission for Manuscripts

~I am very pleased to be with you this morning. We have launched a National Mission, which is not only important but also very unique.

India has a huge wealth of manuscripts. Probably no other country in the world has such an ancient and large store of manuscripts. This priceless legacy lies scattered in many institutions and among a large number of ordinary people. It is largely unprotected, uncatalogued, unresearched, and unpublicised as a proof of our living civilisational heritage.

These manuscripts are in various languages, forms and formats. They cover a wide variety of subjects. However, until now there was no national initiative to survey them, collect them, preserve them and make them available for a holistic study in the modern context.

The National Manuscripts Mission is the first initiative of this kind.

The Ministry of Culture deserves our praise for this work.

I wish to congratulate Shri Jagmohanji and his officers for another reason. I had referred to the Government’s decision to launch the National Manuscripts Mission in my Independence Day announcements last year. The Ministry of Culture worked with missionary zeal and requested me for a date to launch it before the end of 2002. If there has been a delay of 5-6 weeks, I am responsible for it.

In the past, India has launched several national missions – National Mission for Edible Oil, National Mission for Drinking Water, National Cotton Mission, etc. They were successful in many ways. They yielded many direct benefits to the people.

The National Mission for Manuscripts is different from these earlier missions. Its benefits are not direct or immediately visible. Nevertheless, this mission has a great significance for India.

Why? The answer to this question can be given by citing an example from a different field.

It is the findings of archeologists in Harappa and Mohenjodaro.

These findings did not bring any direct benefit to our people. Yet, even today we speak with great pride about the fact that Harappa and Mohenjodaro prove the antiquity and glory of Indian civilisation.

The same is also true about the archeological findings in Dwaraka and Lothal in later decades.

These findings strengthened our national self-awareness. They increased our understanding of our cultural and historical traditions.

This intangible benefit is immensely helpful in nation-building.

I believe that this new National Mission will also bring to light several Harappas, Mohenjodaros and Dwarakas in the future in the field of manuscripts.

It will heighten our knowledge of our spiritual, artistic, intellectual, and scientific heritage. It will also bring new proofs of our national unity.

Friends, this mission is important for another reason. We India have been making many claims about the progress made by us in ancient times in diverse fields of science and technology – in health sciences, in agriculture and irrigation, in metallurgy, astronomy, mathematics, etc.

There is much truth in these claims.

However, modern science and modern mind accept only those claims as true that are backed by evidence. Our vast treasure of manuscripts provides will provide this evidence.

On the one hand, modern science asks for proof from ancient science and traditional knowledge systems. On the other hand, modern science also provides tools that will establish the validity of ancient science and traditional knowledge systems.

Thus, micro-filming, digital techniques, Internet and other tools of Information Technology have been of miraculous help to resurrecting the wealth contained in our manuscripts.

I think that we should pay attention to three aspects for the success of this mission.

I am told that India has more than 35 lakh manuscripts. These are in different languages – both ancient and contemporary. However, most of them are in Sanskrit. Therefore, we should take all possible steps to further promote Sanskrit and associate Sanskrit scholars with the mission.

Secondly, the success of this mission lies in not being run on the lines of usual governmental schemes. A large number of small and big governmental and non-governmental institutions are engaged in the preservation and study of manuscripts. One can cite the renowned Bhandarkar Institute in Pune, the Sampoornanand University in Varanasi, the Khuda Bakhsh Library in Patna, etc. In Delhi itself, we have the Indira Gandhi Centre for Arts. All these institutions should be associated actively with this mission.

One more point. A large number of manuscripts in our country are with private citizens. They have a certain attachment to these manuscripts, although they cannot take good care of them. Often they wonder whether the manuscripts lying with them can be taken good care of, if they give them to others. Now that we have launched this National Mission, and want to set up a National Manuscripts Library, this apprehension can be satisfactorily addressed. Therefore, we need to create widespread awareness about this mission.

With these words, I once again commend the Ministry of Culture for this initiative and wish it all success.

Thank You~.