Jadavpur University to start digitisation of rare Santali docus & scriptures from B’desh

Kolkata: Jadavpur University (JU) will soon start digitisation of rare Santali documents and scriptures from Bangladesh which will be the first Santali archive of the neighbouring country to be brought before public domain. The project implemented by the School of Cultural Texts and Records (SCT&R) at JU will witness digitisation of 10,000 odd images belonging to the period from 1900 to 1970.

“Today Santali is spoken by approximately 7.5 million speakers throughout eastern India, Nepal and Bangladesh. As a marginalised language in Bangladesh, early materials in Santali are particularly vulnerable and the rare materials are in urgent need of digitisation and preservation.

The project aims to digitise 200 volumes of books and manuscripts published between 1900 and 1970, producing approximately 10,000 images. This is a unique collaboration between researchers of India and Bangladesh which will enhance promoting and safeguarding indigenous knowledge systems beyond boundaries,” said Rahi Soren, Assistant Professor of the School of Oceanographic Studies, the principal investigator of the project.

The project titled ‘Archiving Santali Puthi and Patham: Digitising Indigenous Print Cultures from Bangladesh’ will be implemented through a grant from the British Library under Endangered Archives Programme (EAP). The research scholars roped in for the project will engage with Language Resource Hub, Santal Education Centre of Samar M Soren in Bangladesh for the project.

The Centre founded by Samar M Soren is located in Dinajpur region of Bangladesh which has a predominance of Santali population.

The materials contain primary documentation of indigenous knowledge systems, oral literature, the transformation from oral to written cultures and the interconnection between indigenous religion and Christianity.

The SCT&R will conduct an interview for selecting three Research Assistants for a period of one year for taking forward this project on July 24. The receipt of applications ended on Monday (July 21).

“Santali scholars will be able to access materials pertinent to linguistics, folklore, folk songs and specific cultural forms such as ‘bhenta katha’ (double meanings) and ‘Bintis’ (chants), hymns which are in the stage of rapid transformation,” added Soren.

The SCT&R has successfully digitised manuscripts and rare documents in Santali and published 5,000 images making it available in public domain in 2022 under the title ‘Locating and digitising early Santali periodicals published between 1890 and 1975 in Eastern India’ under EAP through financial assistance from the British Library. The rare documents digitised throw light on the lifestyle and culture of the Santali.