The Oriental Research Institute (ORI), which houses an impressive collection of palm leaf manuscripts in the country, plans to take up digitisation on a large scale, with an eye on preservation and propagation of the hidden knowledge for the benefit of posterity.
The institute was established by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) in 1939 to decipher and publish rare manuscripts. It was subsequently handed over to Sri Venkateswara University upon its establishment in 1956. From an impressive track record, the institute’s patronage touched a new low in recent decades in the form of dwindling number of takers for its enviable array of manuscripts.
At present, only 25 % of the 18,000-plus manuscripts are available in the digital format. “This means we have a lot of scope on the digitisation front and bring the manuscripts within the reach of researchers, publishers, litterateurs, Vedic and Sanskrit scholars,” T. Surendra Reddy, who took over the ORI as its Director, told The Hindu on Friday.
Soldiering on
Surprisingly, the last notification for the regular post of ORI Director was issued by the university in 2005 and it has ever since remained under the guidance of in-charge heads. The institute has just two regular faculty members, two research assistants and a curator-cum-librarian.
In spite of the faculty shortage and paucity of funds, it is bringing out a journal every six months. Dr. Reddy said the institute could regain its lost glory with support from SV University and the TTD.
