Imperative to include public in preserving records: Raghvendra Singh
Raghvendra Singh, Director General, National Archives of India (NAI), says digitisation is a priority, as is taking the culture of records to the public. Singh, who joined the NAI in February, tells DNA’s Amrita Madhukalya about the institution’s future plans. Here are some of the excerpts:
You made your intentions clear to ensure the NAI does not remain the hub of scholars alone. How do you plan to involve the public?
The idea that the NAI is a refuge for scholars is a misimpression. The national archives of any country has a certain gravitas attached to it. It should not remain the exclusive domain for researchers. We plan on having a focused interface. I observe that children are being sensitised to protect the environment. The same sensitivity should be adopted for other aesthetics, including the preservation of records. I recently completed a book, the research for which was bolstered by material from the Teen Murti Library.
For instance, if there are some lithographs dating back to 1857, their stories should be told. If you have lithographs from Charles Napier’s time, there’s a story waiting to be told.
We are planning to procure a lithograph machine to take out reprints of important lithographs, and sell it after certifying by the archives. We plan to shed light on important records. There is a need to put such records on permanent display.
What are some of the NAI’s prized possessions? Are the archives accessible to scholars from neighbouring countries?
We have signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with other countries. We engage in a number of cultural exchanges on records, especially with some of the neighbouring countries. We have a collection of records dating back to the 13th Century, which include farmans from the time of Firoz Shah Tughlaq, Akbar, Shah Jahan, and from the British Raj. We also have official records from the Emergency period.
On Wednesday, I met the chief of the National Library of Qatar. I will also be meeting with the Ambassador of Belarus on Friday. These meetings will facilitate an exchange of important records.
How do you plan to digitise records at NIA?
Our main priority, apart from appraising, collecting and documenting records, is to conserve, restore and digitise them for posterity. We microfilm them and then digitise them. It’s a multi-pronged effort. The online portal called ‘Abhilekh Patal’ makes available over 11,000 digitised records online.
There’s this idea that several ministries do not share records on a timely basis. Your thoughts?
Maintenance is the mandate of the NAI. There is no apprehension on the part of other ministries, or their departments, to part with their records. I make this statement from the point of view of the ministries I have worked with earlier. There might be minor delays, but definitely not reluctance on their part.