Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday described India’s manuscripts as an “unparalleled civilisational treasure” and a source of national pride, while addressing the Gyan Bharatam International Conference in New Delhi.
The three-day conference, organised by the Ministry of Culture at Vigyan Bhawan, concludes on September 13. Its theme is ‘Reclaiming India’s Knowledge Legacy through Manuscript Heritage’.
The Prime Minister said that every country values its historical artefacts as symbols of civilisation, and India, with its vast manuscript collection, holds a unique place in global knowledge. “From mathematics to computer science, the foundation of modern knowledge rests on contributions like the concept of zero discovered in India. India, with its vast manuscript collection, holds an unparalleled civilisational treasure, a source of pride for the nation,” he said.
He noted that manuscripts reflect the uninterrupted flow of India’s intellectual and cultural legacy and embody the country’s “unity in diversity” by existing in nearly 80 languages, including Sanskrit, Prakrit, Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, and Marathi.
Citing examples such as the Gilgit Manuscript, which provides an authentic history of Kashmir, the Prime Minister said these works capture the progress of humanity in fields ranging from philosophy, science, medicine, and metaphysics to art, astronomy, and architecture.
PM Modi announced that under the Gyan Bharatam Mission, India will collaborate with universities in Thailand and Vietnam to train scholars in deciphering manuscripts in languages such as Pali, Lanna, and Cham. He said the initiative aims to preserve heritage globally and strengthen cultural partnerships.
Highlighting the importance of technology, he said digitisation will help prevent intellectual piracy and make manuscripts accessible to the world. “The global cultural and creative industries are worth $2.5 trillion. Digitised manuscripts can feed this sector, serving as a vast data bank and inspiring data-driven innovation,” he said.
Calling on the youth to join the initiative, the Prime Minister said their participation would accelerate efforts to explore the past through technology. “Already, 70 per cent of participants are young people—a strong sign of success,” he noted.
According to the Ministry of Culture, Gyan Bharatam is a national movement to safeguard and disseminate India’s manuscript heritage. Its objectives include identification and documentation of texts, conservation and restoration of fragile works, large-scale digitisation using AI-driven tools, and creation of a National Digital Repository. It will also focus on research, translation, publication of rare manuscripts, capacity building for scholars, development of digital platforms, and global partnerships.
-ANI