The Ministry of Culture’s flagship initiative, Gyan Bharatam, marked a significant milestone today with the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with 17 leading institutions from across the country. The ceremony, held at the National Gallery of Modern Art (Jaipur House), New Delhi, symbolized a historic step in India’s collective effort to safeguard, preserve, and revitalize the nation’s manuscript heritage.

The event was graced by Union Minister of Culture & Tourism, Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who lauded Gyan Bharatam as a visionary initiative aimed at decoding India’s ancient manuscripts and reaffirming their enduring relevance in contemporary times. He emphasized that the initiative reflects India’s cultural commitment to make its manuscript wealth accessible to future generations.

Shri Shekhawat also shared his vision of transforming India into a “Prāṇamaya Bhārata”—a nation vibrant with living knowledge—stressing that in the pursuit of progress, quality must never be compromised for speed.

The proceedings began with a welcome address by the Secretary, Ministry of Culture, who highlighted that the mission of manuscript preservation must progress with the precision and determination of illuminating the nation through knowledge and unity.

This was followed by remarks from Shri Samar Nanda, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, who invited the institutional representatives on stage for the formal exchange of MoUs, symbolizing the expansion of the Gyan Bharatam family.

Under the Gyan Bharatam framework, 12 Cluster Centres and 5 Independent Centres have been established across India as key implementing partners. These centres will carry forward the initiative’s five core verticals—

            1.         Survey & Cataloguing

            2.         Conservation & Capacity Building

            3.         Technology & Digitization

            4.         Linguistics & Translation

            5.         Research, Publication & Outreach

Ensuring both regional coordination and institutional autonomy in the mission to rejuvenate India’s manuscript heritage.

Announced in Union Budget 2025–26 (Para 84), Gyan Bharatam is the Ministry’s flagship initiative dedicated to identifying, documenting, conserving, digitizing, and promoting India’s vast manuscript legacy. The initiative envisions the creation of a National Digital Repository (NDR) to make this invaluable heritage accessible on both national and global platforms.

The evening concluded with “Mere Kabir”, a Dastangoi musical performance by Syed Sahil Agha and Nizam Premi of the Dilli Gharana, celebrating India’s profound spiritual and literary traditions. The performance was followed by a dinner reception for dignitaries and guests.

The MoU Signing Ceremony stands as a landmark in India’s cultural renaissance, transforming preservation into participation and archives into living sources of knowledge and inspiration. Through Gyan Bharatam, India reaffirms its enduring commitment to safeguarding its timeless intellectual and spiritual heritage for generations to come.

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Sunil Kumar Tiwari

pibculture[at]gmail[dot]com

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