Superstitions hinder collection and preservation of manuscripts

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, February 25: Superstitions among the people still create an obligation for the authorities concerned to collect and preserve the Xasi and Tulapat manuscripts from various places of the state. Many manuscripts are still kept in households without any care.

There is a belief that transferring manuscripts from one place to another is an omen for the families possessing such valuable materials. “The Xasi manuscripts that are kept in the Xatras of some places don’t allow females to touch, and hence we face many problems to collect such copies from them,” Anita Choudhury, a research officer, Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies, Guwahati told this reporter today.

It is known to all that ancient manuscripts written on Xasi and Tulapat need advanced care and preservation for their proper upkeep or else they would be lost forever. If the people are not aware of taking initiatives on their own, the threat to such valuable property would continue to persist.

The Department of Historical and Antiquarian Studies (DHAS), which looks after the preservation of various kinds of manuscripts and other ancient property of the state in an advanced and scientific way, faces challenges in their job. They collect the undiscovered manuscripts from various places of the state and preserve them in a scientific way. When they get any information about manuscripts, they buy the copies from the person concerned. The price of a page of Xasi sheet depends on its size. The current rate ranges from Rs 20 to Rs 50 a sheet. There are approximately 2,900 copies of Xasi manuscripts in the library of the department and all the copies have been digitalized. Among the 2,900 manuscripts, they have published 2,300 books. These books are available in the sale point of the department.