AROUND 4,000 manuscripts were displayed at the Nagarjun Buddhist Foundation in an exhibition jointly organised by the foundation and Department of Culture, Government of India, under the National Mission for Manuscript Programme.
The exhibition was followed by a seminar on ‘Buddhist Culture, Literature and Society’ at Central Library, in Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University.
Inaugurating the daylong exhibition, former pro vice-chancellor of the university Prof Sabhajeet Mishra said the exhibition aimed at creating awareness among the people to conserve manuscripts.
He lauded the efforts of the Nagarjun Buddhist Foundation in conserving the manuscripts.
Speaking on the occasion, general secretary and project co-ordinator Prof Karunesh Shukla said the Nagarjun Buddhist Foundation was established in 1978 and since then 11 camps were organised to impart training in conserving manuscripts. He said the Government of India recognised the foundation as a centre for conservation of manuscripts in June 2005.
The foundation had organised three national seminars in 1985, 1987 and 1988 on the significance of manuscripts.
Shukla said manuscripts were significant assets of the country.
{{/usCountry}}Shukla said manuscripts were significant assets of the country.
{{/usCountry}}However, due to lack of awareness among the people and their insensitive attitude, thousands of manuscripts had been destroyed, which were an important source of the country’s cultural history.
He further said a national mission for manuscripts was launched in 2003 to search for manuscripts, enlist and publish them. The mission was successful, he added.