Sanchipat manuscripts find new life through conservation efforts

Dhubri: The ongoing effort for conservation of Sanchipat manuscripts, the intellectual heritage of Assam for years, continues through the initiatives of the Indian Ethno Library Society. The society is preserving them in satras and namghars in western Assam districts and West Bengal.To keep this tradition alive, the Society regularly plants seedlings of Sanchi tree in Satras across Assam. These saplings are now taking shape into trees.Dr Hari Charan Das, the convener of Indian Ethno Library Society and the librarian of Bilasipara College, spearheading this initiative faced numerous challenges in convincing others of the importance of conservation. He took up this cause as a mission rather than an occasional activity. The journey began in 2003 with a national manuscript mission by Das, who took a survey of Sanchipat manuscripts in western Assam districts. The survey covered and included Dhubri, Kokrajhar, Goalpara and Bongaigaon as well as the satras of West Bengal.Talking to TOI, Das said till 2013 he had surveyed around 1,100 manuscripts, which are now preserved in the satras, namghars, temples, and personal repository with a helping hand of principal of Bilasipara College, Prof Biswajit Goswami.