LUCKNOW: If you have ever used glue to
preserve a tattered heritage manuscript
or pasted it on new paper, chances are that the acid from either has corroded the centuries-old written word.
To impart knowledge in a one-of-its-kind manuscript preservation programme, international experts will come to Lucknow for a two-day event in Mahmudabad house on Friday and Saturday.
A collaboration between Iran, UK, US and India, the event is titled ‘Manuscript preservation in modern India: New techniques and strategies for caring and collections’.
It will dwell on techniques of preservation of precious archival material and break through the old and redundant ways people use to keep their archives alive, spoiling them in the process.
Ranging from 200-500 years old, the manuscripts from the personal collection of the erstwhile “king” of Mahmudabad will be put on display at the event. These will be spread across genres such as history to Unani medicine, and Quran to poetry, mathematics and astronomy.
“The idea was to make people aware of modern preservation techniques being followed by experts around the world against those that damage manuscripts. We will also show digitisation practices being used at Mahmudabad house for people to take notes from,” said Ali Khan Mahmudabad.
There will be lessons on opening and touching a manuscript, changes in the process over time and scientific techniques and practices used. “There are innumerable manuscripts in Lucknow for which there is no knowledge of upkeep,” added Khan.
The workshop will be led by Francis Richard of the
French National Center for Scientific Research
and Jake Benson of
Leiden University
with Father Columba Stewart also attending.
The workshop is in collaboration with the UK-based Islamic Manuscript Association, US-based Roshan Institute for Persian Studies, British Library, Ashoka University and the erstwhile royal family of Mahmudabad.
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