KU’s Persian Department designated as Gyan Bharatam Cluster Centre for manuscript preservation

Srinagar, Jan 8: The Department of Persian, University of Kashmir (KU), has been designated as a Gyan Bharatam Cluster Centre for Jammu and Kashmir by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India, for a period of five years, in recognition of the Department’s sustained academic performance and expertise in manuscript studies.

A statement of KU issued here said that the department would undertake large-scale projects related to the identification, cataloguing, preservation, conservation, digitisation, and research of manuscripts across Jammu and Kashmir.

The initiative will cover valuable manuscripts housed in government, semi-government, public and private repositories, as well as temples, khanqahs, gurdwaras, trusts, and personal collections.

In her message, Vice Chancellor, KU, Prof Nilofer Khan, welcomed the recognition and said, “The designation of the Department of Persian as a Gyan Bharatam Cluster Centre reflects the university’s long-standing commitment to safeguarding the nation’s manuscript heritage.

This initiative will help preserve invaluable intellectual traditions for future generations through systematic and scientific methods.”

She said that the project would strengthen varsity’s role as a key contributor to national cultural and research priorities.

J&K is home to nearly 70,000 to 90,000 manuscripts, many of which suffered extensive damage during the 2014 floods, resulting in the loss of a significant portion of the region’s documentary heritage.

The project would be implemented in line with the guidelines of the Gyan Bharatam programme, Ministry of Culture, New Delhi, and will include the establishment of sub-centres in Jammu and other parts of the Valley to ensure wider outreach and access.

The Department of Persian KU already hosts a Manuscripts Resource Centre (MRC) under the National Mission for Manuscripts and has successfully completed several major projects supported by UGC, ICHR, ICSSR, and the Ministry of Culture.

The initiative is expected to play a key role in restoring, documenting, and researching rare manuscripts and Indian literary heritage in Jammu and Kashmir over the next five years.

The initiative would be implemented under a Memorandum of Understanding signed earlier between Gyan Bharatam, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and the Department of Persian, University of Kashmir, for a period of five years.