GU to digitise Jyotiprasad’s works, inks deal with family

Guwahati: Gauhati University signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the family of Gana Silpi (peoples’ artiste) Jyotiprasad Agarwala to preserve, document, and digitally archive his original creative works for academic and research use.

Vice-chancellor Nani Gopal Mahanta, while speaking at the MoU signing ceremony between the department of communication and journalism of the varsity and the family of the cultural icon, said, “Jyotiprasad Agarwala was not only an artist; he reflected the social, cultural and human concerns of Assam. Preserving his works is both an academic and collective responsibility.”


He added that Agarwala’s contributions to cinema, literature, and theatre offered valuable insight into Assam’s social and cultural history. He said the MoU would ensure systematic preservation, documentation, and digitisation of these materials, making them accessible to researchers, students, and the wider public in the years ahead.

The project, titled “Preservation and Documentation of the Original Works of Jyotiprasad Agarwala”, will place all archived material under the care of the Krishnakanta Handique Central Library’s manuscript preservation unit, following established conservation practices. Digital versions of the documents will be created in a phased manner to support research and teaching.

Bharati Bharali, assistant professor at the department of communication and journalism, said the initiative focuses on safeguarding rare manuscripts, film scripts, correspondence, plays, poems, and other archival material associated with Agarwala.

Agarwala’s daughter Satyashri Das thanked the university for taking steps to ensure the long-term preservation and academic use of the artist’s original works.