10-20-2006, 07:22 PM
Capt Kumar,
This link http://sainiksangh.com/protectionheritage.htm says:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Protection of Heritage
We hold a repository of rare and old manuscripts and records in Sanskrit numbering over 50,000 and collected from various sources over a period. These valuable records are yet to be developed into a library for want of funds and expertise. The manuscripts are not catalogued and need extensive preservation. Some work on this has already been done with the support of National Archives Government of India. However for the Orientalist and research scholars this collection, which has yet not been scrutinized fully , can be of great interest. Further information may be had on contacting us.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
50,000 manuscripts is a huge number! Of course many of these will be copies of existing texts, but likelihood of many interesting things being there is high. Having them scanned will be of immense use.
There is a way to use a digital camera on a mount to take images of such manuscripts etc fast and without subjecting them to too much stress. If you buy that contraption, it costs an arm and a leg. But it shouldn't be too hard to just build one. A digital camera on a mount which can be clicked with a remote control and a light source and you have a fine manuscript scanner.
Rajesh,
Simple scanned pdf's for out of copyright texts should be possible. Even more ambitious and useful will be transliterated versions which won't have copyright issues at all. Sanskrit Document List website has a good voluntary effort in this regard. And there are many such transliteration efforts, but still miniscule compared o actual number of texts around. Translations are even harder to find apart from major works.
This link http://sainiksangh.com/protectionheritage.htm says:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Protection of Heritage
We hold a repository of rare and old manuscripts and records in Sanskrit numbering over 50,000 and collected from various sources over a period. These valuable records are yet to be developed into a library for want of funds and expertise. The manuscripts are not catalogued and need extensive preservation. Some work on this has already been done with the support of National Archives Government of India. However for the Orientalist and research scholars this collection, which has yet not been scrutinized fully , can be of great interest. Further information may be had on contacting us.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
50,000 manuscripts is a huge number! Of course many of these will be copies of existing texts, but likelihood of many interesting things being there is high. Having them scanned will be of immense use.
There is a way to use a digital camera on a mount to take images of such manuscripts etc fast and without subjecting them to too much stress. If you buy that contraption, it costs an arm and a leg. But it shouldn't be too hard to just build one. A digital camera on a mount which can be clicked with a remote control and a light source and you have a fine manuscript scanner.
Rajesh,
Simple scanned pdf's for out of copyright texts should be possible. Even more ambitious and useful will be transliterated versions which won't have copyright issues at all. Sanskrit Document List website has a good voluntary effort in this regard. And there are many such transliteration efforts, but still miniscule compared o actual number of texts around. Translations are even harder to find apart from major works.