Kolkata: In a unique initiative, the Union ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) has taken up a project of digitising the ancient manuscripts related to the oldest forms of treatment in the country including Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani.
One of the main objectives of the initiative is to decipher old manuscripts collected from various parts of the country and translate them into English or Hindi so that the latest version can be preserved. This will give a new dimension to the research of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and other fields.
The ancient texts and manuscripts related to Ayurveda and other modes of ancient treatment had been lying unused for a long time in various parts of the country. Deciphering old books and manuscripts is never easy as most of them are in bad shape.
Despite various challenges, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) and National Institute of Ayurveda (NIA) have taken up an elaborate project of digitisation of old books and manuscripts.
The CCRAS has already translated and digitised around 5,152 ancient manuscripts so far while the NIA has deciphered altogether 200 rare old books and manuscripts in the last two years and also collected 300-500 of them.
According to a member of the CCRAS, the digitised format of old manuscripts will contribute immensely towards the research of literary works.
The move will also help in the preservation of age-old manuscripts which are part of the country's rich heritage.
Dr Asit Panja, an Associate Professor of the NIA's manuscript department who has extensively worked on preservation and digitisation of old manuscripts said around 40-60 percent of the old Ayurvedic literature have not been explored. As a result of this, the knowledge related to the subject is gained out of the texts that have been explored so far. A vast array of knowledge is yet to be gained after the undeciphered literature is tapped.
"Digitisation of old books and manuscript is a great initiative taken for the preservation of the oldest methods of treatment in India.
"We also appeal to the people who possess old texts to submit them to the manuscript department of the NIA or with the CCRAS for further research. It takes lot of time to
decipher old manuscripts and publish them in a digitised format," Dr Panja said.
It may be mentioned here that the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS) has also digitised 1,419 manuscripts while the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) has done 114 texts so far.
The manuscripts were translated as per recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Group for Literary Research. Catalogue and status of Ayurvedic manuscripts have been provided on the AYUSH research portal.