IIT Jodhpur’s IHUB Drishti Foundation, IGNCA collaborate to preserve India’s rich cultural heritage

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur's (IIT Jodhpur's) IHUB Drishti Foundation has signed an agreement with Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi, on April 16 to preserve India’s rich cultural heritage for future generations.

The collaboration between IHUB Drishti Foundation and IGNCA aims to digitize IGNCA's manuscripts, books, and historical documents, assuring their preservation, accessibility, and utilization in the digital age. IGNCA has a large collection of useful resources, including books, manuscripts, and historical documents saved on microfilm in several Indian languages.

Digitize microfilms

The agreement outlines the scope of the two universities' engagement, which includes joint research and development in the digitization and preservation of cultural items. One of the main objectives is to digitize these microfilms, making them searchable and accessible online.

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Collaboration phases

The collaboration will be carried out in two phases:

Phase 1: This phase will focus on collaborative research and development.

Phase 2: During this stage, an assessment mechanism will be implemented to thoroughly evaluate the progress made during Phase 1. This evaluation process will serve as a comprehensive review, enabling institutions to gauge the effectiveness of their collaborative efforts and identify areas for improvement.

Speaking about this partnership, Santanu Chaudhury, chairman, iHub Drishti Foundation and director, IIT Jodhpur, said, “This partnership signifies a crucial step towards leveraging technology for the preservation of India's cultural heritage. By digitizing these manuscripts and historical documents, we are ensuring their accessibility to people around the world, thereby enriching our understanding of Indian art and culture.”