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Bikaner Library Honored in PM's Mann Ki Baat, Director Expresses Pride

Prime Minister Narendra Modi mentioned Bikaner's Abhay Jain Granthalaya in his Mann Ki Baat radio address. The library's director, Rishabh Nahata, expressed great pride and honor for the institution and Rajasthan. The granthalaya houses a vast collection of approximately 200,000 manuscripts gathered by Agar Chand Nahata. It is now part of the government's Gyan Bharatam Mission, focusing on digitization, conservation, and a nationwide survey to preserve manuscript heritage.

Key Points: PM Modi Mentions Abhay Jain Granthalaya in Mann Ki Baat

  • Library mentioned in PM's address
  • Houses 200,000 ancient manuscripts
  • Part of Gyan Bharatam Mission
  • Over 200,000 pages digitized
  • Appeals for public manuscript survey
2 min read

'Abhay Jain Granthalaya' director thanks PM Modi for Mann Ki Baat mention

Director Rishabh Nahata thanks PM Modi for mentioning the Bikaner library housing 200,000 ancient manuscripts in his Mann Ki Baat address.

"It is a matter of great pride and happiness. It is an honour not only for the 'granthalaya' but also for Bikaner and the entire Rajasthan. - Rishabh Nahata"

Bikaner, March 29

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, in his Mann Ki Baat address to the nation, mentioned 'Abhay Jain Granthalaya', a library housing ancient manuscripts.

Speaking to IANS, Abhay Jain Granthalaya's director Rishabh Nahata expressed his happiness after the mention of the 'granthalaya' in PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat.

"It is a matter of great pride and happiness. It is an honour not only for the 'granthalaya' but also for Bikaner and the entire Rajasthan."

He said that the 'granthalaya' houses a vast collection of around 200,000 manuscripts, which were collected over a lifetime by Agar Chand Nahata. "He dedicated his body, mind, and wealth to building this library. The collection includes texts in Sanskrit, Prakrit, Gurmukhi, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali, and several other languages," Rishabh Nahata said.

He emphasised that under the Ministry of Culture's Gyan Bharat Mission, work related to digitisation, conservation, and cataloguing is currently being carried out at the library.

Notably, the Centre's Gyan Bharatam Mission aims to safeguard India's manuscript heritage by bringing it into the digital age.

"Additionally, a mega survey is underway as part of the Gyan Bharatam Mission," he said

Nahata also appealed to people who possess old or ancient manuscripts to come forward, participate in the survey, and share information about their collections "so that the government can work on preserving them and spreading their significance further".

He further explained that this work began after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) under the Gyan Bharatam Mission in October last year. "Since then, digitisation and conservation efforts have been ongoing. So far, more than 200,000 pages have been digitised, and approximately 6,600 manuscripts have been processed," he said.

He added that this work takes considerable time, "as it involves scanning, digitisation, cataloguing, and conservation, all of which require following proper procedures."

Regarding the age of the manuscripts, Rishabh Nahata said, "They range from around 100 to 400 years old. He also mentioned that the Abhay Jain Granthalaya itself is about 100 years old, which explains why it holds such a rich collection of ancient manuscripts."

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As someone who loves history, this is incredible. 200,000 manuscripts! The dedication of Agar Chand Nahata ji is inspiring. Digitisation will make this treasure accessible to scholars worldwide. Well done to the team at the granthalaya.
A
Ananya R
While the mention in Mann Ki Baat is a great honour, I hope the focus remains on the actual work of preservation. Sometimes such recognition leads to more bureaucracy and less actual support for the institutions on the ground. The work they are doing is vital.
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Vikram M
Proud moment for Rajasthan and for all Indians! Our history is not just in monuments but in these texts. Having texts in so many languages shows the beautiful diversity of our intellectual heritage. More power to such libraries!
K
Karthik V
This is the real "Make in India" and "Digital India" coming together. Preserving the knowledge created by our ancestors and making it available for future generations. Hope they create a public portal once digitisation is complete.
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Priya S
Wonderful! 👏 My family is from Bikaner, and I remember visiting this library as a child. It's a hidden gem. So happy it's getting national recognition and support. The appeal to the public to share their manuscripts is a great community initiative.

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