Malda: A history preservation initiative is underway at the Malda District Library in English Bazar, where 42 rare manuscripts and palm-leaf texts, many dating back to medieval Bengal, are being digitised. The project, led in collaboration with Gour College, aims to safeguard these invaluable documents from physical degradation due to time and frequent handling.
The manuscripts, written on Tulot paper, include several rare and priceless works such as the 1581 edition of Chaitanya Charitamrita by Krishnadasa Kaviraja, Krishna Leela Natak, Vaishnav Vidhan and the 16th-century Rup Manjari. Currently preserved using red silk cloth and traditional methods, the documents are highly fragile and digital archiving has emerged as the only viable way to both protect and provide public access to them.
Speaking about the initiative, acting librarian Tusharkanti Mandal said: “With the support of Gour College, the digitisation of the 42 manuscripts has begun. These are extremely delicate materials, so our process involves carefully photographing each page with precision and care.” He added that the process is being conducted by trained students and alumni of the college’s Mass Communication department and is expected to be completed within the next two to three months. A dedicated portal for the district library will be created where these digitised works will be made accessible to researchers and readers.
The collaboration is the result of an MoU signed three years ago between the Malda District Library and Gour College, under the presence of Minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury. Since April this year, trained students from the college have been actively working on this project. Principal of Gour College, Asim Sarkar, emphasised the significance of the project: “We are the first institution in North Bengal to provide specialised training in manuscript digitisation to Mass Communication students. There is no remuneration involved. In return, our students and researchers will receive free access to the library’s resources.”
He also expressed hopes that other institutions holding rare manuscripts—such as the Malda Museum, Bharati Bhavan Library in Kaligram, Kumar Shivapada Library from the Chanchal royal era and Harishchandrapur Town Library—would come forward for similar digitisation efforts. He assured full support from Gour College in preserving Bengal’s literary heritage.
This effort marks a vital step toward history, literature and cultural preservation and public accessibility of Bengal’s endangered literary treasures.