Tai manuscripts yet to get recognition

Tai manuscripts, written on the bark of Sanchi trees in the ancient times, now lying scattered in upper Assam districts, are yet to get due recognition by the National Mission for Manuscripts, New Delhi.
It has come to light from a letter by Dipti S Tripathi, Director, National Mission for Manuscripts, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi to Girin Phukan, Director, Institute of Tai Studies and Research, Moranhat, dated September 6, 2010.

Sri Phukan alleged that no such Tai manuscript has been preserved in the Manuscript Resource Centre (MRC), Guwahati till date. It has indicated the negligence towards the language as well as the communities of the Tai origin residing mostly in the upper Assam districts, he said.

In Assam, there are six local groups of people of Tai origin, namely, Tai Ahom, Tai Aiton, Tai Khamti, Tai Khamyang, Tai Phake and Tai Turung. There is a similarity among the dialects they use. Phukan said that the origin of these dialects was the same and the difference from one another is very little.

Full report here Assam Tribune

Hub for Tai manuscripts

The National Mission for Manuscripts of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, has offered to set up a research centre at the Institute of Tai Studies and Research, an NGO, at Moranhat in Sivasagar district to preserve Tai manuscripts.

Girin Phukan, the honorary director of the institute, said Dipti S. Tripathi, the director of the National Mission for Manuscripts, expressed her interest in the “culture of the people residing in the Northeast, as they have contributed immensely to the rich cultural and literary heritage of the country”.

Phukan was speaking at a book release function at Jorhat Press Club on Sep 19.

In a letter to the institute, Tripathi said they had projects on publishing manuscripts, training conservationists, manuscriptologists and paleographists.

Full report here Telegraph

Lost Sanskrit manuscript rediscovered in Italian library

A lost ancient manuscript detailing India's old Sanskrit language was rediscovered in an Italian library.

According to a German news agency, Toon Van Haal of Belgium tracked down the Grammatica Grandonica in a Carmelite monastery library near Rome.

The manuscript compiled in Kerala, India by Johann Ernst Hanxleben, could provide insights into western grammarians' thoughts about the ancient language of India - revered in the west as the oldest branch of the Indo-European family of languages, which include English, French and Persian, reports Earth Times.

Johann Ernst Hanxleben was a German Jesuit priest who spoke fluent Malayalam, compiled the document between 1701 and 1732.

Full report here Sify

Exhibition on rare books begins in Jammu

An exhibition showcasing rare books and manuscripts, including those on Jammu and Kashmir, began in Jammu on April 23.

Inaugurated by state Minister for Culture and Tourism Rigzin Jora, the exhibition at the Kala Kendra had manuscripts dating back to the 17 century AD.

Among the books and manuscripts exhibited were Adi Granth (1887), Shah Nama Firdousi (1874), Aayeen-e-Akbari (1274), Gulam Nama (1932), Bustan-e-Hikmat (1874), Makhzanul Advia (1882), Tareekh-e-Rajgaan-e-Jammu-wa-Kashmir (1886)and Naya Purana Ehad Nama (1824).
  
The exhibition, which was to be a one-day affair, has now been extended to two more days.

Full report here Azad Kashmir