Google, one of the world’s leading Internet search engine has decided to digitize some 800,000 books and manuscripts lying at the Mysore University in Karnataka. The list for digitization also includes India’s first political treaty- the “Arthasastra” written in the 4th century BC by Kautilya. The effort is to preserve the manuscripts basically.
The vice chancellor of the Mysore University, Mr. J. Shashidhara Prasad said, “Written in both papers and palm leaves, there are around 100,000 manuscripts in our library, some dating back to the eighth century. The effort is to restore and preserve this cultural heritage for effective dissemination of knowledge. Many manuscripts on ayurveda, mathematics, medicine, science, astrology and economy including ‘Arthasastra’ and several paper manuscripts of the Wodeyar dynasty of Mysore will be digitized first. Depending upon the exclusivity of the materials, we will patent them before making them available on public domain.‘
The manuscripts which are either in Sanskrit or Kannada would be patented and printed after their digitization. Google has offered to digitize them for free. The chief of Google India is ready to provide us expertise, software and even manpower to the university. The University Grants Commission (UGC) is also assisting the cause financially. The digitization will enable students, scholars and historians from all over the country to access the scripts. However, the time for the projects completion is not configured yet.
Source: Hindustantimes
