India’s Manuscript Heritage

It is indeed a must needed initiative that  the Ministry of Culture has taken by announcing the first ever  conference on  Manuscript Heritage. On the auspicious occasion of  Guru  Purnima the Ministry  has  reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to honour the Guru-Shishya  tradition and revitalizing the  civilizational moorings and continuity embedded in the  rich manuscript wealth. An International Conference  on the theme “ Reclaiming  India’s Knowledge Legacy  Through Manuscript Heritage” will be held on  11th to 13th September 2025 at the Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. The Conference will be held in the hybrid mode. It is pertinent to mention that this international conference of its kind  for the first time  is being organized to commemorate  Swami Vivekananda’s historic address World Parliament of Religions which he delivered on 11th September 1893.This lecture delivered by the Wandering Monk of India has been inspiring many generations of humanity across the globe  to live in harmony. This historic lecture from the international podium by Swami Vivekananda has been bedrock of India’s commitment to knowledge, peace and universal harmony. It brings to the fore the India’s civilizational moorings depicting its intellectual and spiritual vision. As per the Ministry of Culture this international conference will be  attended by distinguished personalities that includes  well known  scholars, thought leaders and cultural ambassadors. It will enable the interaction among the heritage and cultural scholars at various levels, bringing the best minds on one platforms and enabling the brainstorming for exploring new strategies to cultural heritage and civilizational issues. This conference will certainly prove the India’s worth as the knowledge nucleus as India has been the ancient centre of both spiritual and secular knowledge system that have contributed to the global development as a whole. Justifying the rationale of organizing this international conference the Ministry of Culture underlines that India holds an unparalleled treasure of more than 10 million manuscripts covering philosophy, science, medicine, mathematics, literature, rituals, and the arts. These manuscripts are far more than historical records; they represent the living essence of Bhāratīya Jñāna Paramparā (Indian Knowledge Systems) and serve as a vital link in preserving the rich and continuous flow of India’s intellectual and cultural heritage. Over the course of three days, the conference will bring together more than 500 delegates, including 75 eminent scholars and cultural custodians from India and abroad. Thematic sessions will explore a wide range of concerns from conservation, digitization, and metadata standards to paleographic studies, AI-integrated archival practices, ethical custodianship, and curricular integration of manuscript knowledge. A number of side events, including exhibitions of rare manuscripts (some inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World register), live demonstrations of conservation techniques, workshops, cultural performances, and dedicated spaces for manuscript-focused startups, will further enrich the experience. The Ministry further opines that Among the significant outcomes envisaged is the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration on Manuscript Heritage, the formation of expert working groups for decipherment, conservation, translation, and digital archiving, and long-term institutional linkages for national and international collaboration. The Manuscript Research Partner (MRP) programme will also be introduced to engage young scholars through hands-on training, script labs, and digital content development. The conference submissions are open till 10th August. Original research papers and case studies are invited in Hindi or English on themes such as conservation, codicology, legal frameworks, education, cultural diplomacy, and technological innovations in manuscript studies. Abstracts must be submitted by 10 August 2025 through the official conference website: https://gbm-moc.in. Full papers and related queries may be sent to the conference email: [email protected]. This conference will be able to situate India’s commitment to manuscript preservation at global level.