Researchers to set up database of Indian manuscripts taken abroad

New Delhi, Sep 3 (PTI) A universe of knowledge has been built from Indian manuscripts that went out as part of trade or scholarly exchanges and contributed to mathematics as the world knows it, and we intend to understand and document it as a database, researchers said at a press meet.

Manuscripts are original handwritten documents and an important means for preserving knowledge.

"Launched in 2022, SAMHiTA -- or 'South Asian Manuscript Histories and Textual Archive' -- is an attempt, supported by the Ministry of External Affairs, to trace and build a digital database of manuscripts that were taken outside India as part of scholarly exchanges or gifts," said Sudha Gopalakrishnan, project director of SAMHiTA, at a press meet ahead of a conference scheduled during September 4-5.

"People come here to research a manuscript and take it back to Europe or Southeast Asia, and that becomes part of the property there, upon which further knowledge is then built. There's a big universe of knowledge that's been built around Indian manuscripts," she said.

"We also aim to digitise these texts that are available in places such as Oxford University or Pennsylvania University," she said. The database so built will be open to the public, she added.

Titled 'South Asia's Manuscript Traditions and Mathematical Contributions', the conference brings together Indian and international researchers, including historians and mathematicians, who will detail concepts in Indian mathematics that were globally influential.

"The conference is an outreach to sensitise the present generation about ideas and visions put down in ancient manuscripts," Gopalakrishnan told PTI.

"Manuscripts are not hard to read or inaccessible. They deal with the thoughts and ideas of people who once lived and worked. We aim to connect with ancient knowledge and see if there's anything new that the modern age can imbibe and understand," she said.

Youngsters need to be involved in mathematics, and through the conference, we hope to motivate them to develop an interest in the field, K N Shrivastava, director of India International Centre, told PTI.

"Unfortunately, the craze for mathematics as a pure subject is declining. Involvement of youngsters in these streams, in STEM, is critical for a country's development," he said.

The researchers drew attention to how manuscripts by ancient mathematicians, such as Aryabhatta and Neelkanth Somayaji, contributed to mathematical concepts of trigonometry and calculus. PTI KRS VN VN