Lone custodian takes care of 1,000 years of history at PU archival cell
Cell contains over 40,000 rare books, 1,500 manuscripts written in 7 languages, including writings by British viceroys and governor generals
Despite having a rich repository of archives, the Panjab University archival cell has no requisite staff to take care of a 1,000 years of history.
Since its inception, the archival cell is taken care of by only one person.
The archives that were set up in 2005 are considered to be even richer than the archives at Jamia Milia Islamia and Jawahar Lal Nehru University. The cell contains over 40,000 rare books and 1,500 manuscripts written in seven different languages.
The first proposal to set up an archival cell at PU was made in 1981 when the University Grants Commission asked PU to set up a cell at the varsity with staff that included archivists, chemists and other supporting staff. But at the time, PU was not able to set up a full-fledged cell. In the meantime, similar letters were sent to Jamia Milia Islamia, Jawahar Lal Nehru University and Aligarh Muslim University for the establishment of archival cells.
ONE OF THE RICHEST REPOSITORIES IN REGION
PU’s archival cell is currently taken care of by assistant archivist Mritunjay Kumar. He says, “This archival cell is one of the richest archives in the region but it doesn’t have a requisite staff yet. The archival cells at other universities have the equipment and requisite staff, but here, I am the only one taking care of these archives.”
Being one of the oldest varsities in the country, PU possesses rich, old texts that are diverse in their character and content.
In 2013, a committee was formed by Panjab University authorities for revamping the archival cell, but the condition of the archives at PU is same as before. After approaching authorities, Kumar was asked to provide a detailed proposal including infrastructure and manpower requirements for revamping the archival cell, but to date, that remains a distant dream.
NO ACTION ON REVAMP PROPOSAL
“They asked me to prepare a detailed report for improving the condition of the cell, but even after that, no step was taken. I gave my feedback and even gave example of how archival cells worked in other universities,” said Kumar.
In the proposal that Kumar presented to the varsity, he included a list of important documents that are under the possession of archival cell of Panjab University. It Includes educational record series published by the colonial government in India, Imperial Gazette of India, writings by viceroys and governor generals and English factory records.
Besides possessing religious literature about temples, gurdwaras and mosques, PU archives also houses atlases and maps of ancient times and books written by medieval travellers and sources in Persian and Arabic that is important for medieval and maritime history.
There is no question on the richness of the PU’s archival cell but it needs special attention: “I am an assistant archivist of this cell but I am also the clerk and peon here,” says Kumar.
WE ARE AWARE: DUI
Dean university instructions Shankar Ji Jha said, “We are aware of the richness of our archives. University will ensure the condition of the archival cell improves in the future.”
A senior university official on condition of anonymity said, “One of the reasons may be the overall faculty crunch and funds crunch of the university. Or maybe the university is not fully aware of the richness of the archival cell. Mritunjay Kumar should persuade the university for the improvement of this cell.”