MoU Signing Ceremony between CCRAS and Berhampur University to Digitize Rare Ayurvedic Manuscripts

India, Jan. 31 -- The Government of India has issued a release:

In a landmark initiative to safeguard and promote India's medical heritage, the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), Ministry of Ayush, and Berhampur University, Odisha, will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to digitize, catalogue, and publish rare Ayurvedic manuscripts and palm-leaf documents preserved at the South Odisha Cultural Study Centre (SOCSC).

The MoU signing ceremony will be held at the Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI),Bhubaneswar, in the august presence of Prof. Geetanjali Das, Honourable Vice Chancellor,Berhampur University, Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, NewDelhi and Prof. B.S. Prasad Former President, National Council for Indian System ofMedicine (NCISM). The collaboration will be led by the National Institute of Indian MedicalHeritage (NIIMH), Hyderabad, a peripheral unit of CCRAS.

Bridging Antiquity and Technology

Berhampur University houses a distinguished collection of over 2,000 palm-leaf manuscripts,much of which containing invaluable Ayurvedic knowledge and remains unpublished andinaccessible to the wider scientific community. Through this partnership, CCRAS-NIIMH willemploy advanced digitization techniques to preserve these fragile documents for posterity.

Key Highlights of the Collaboration

Comprehensive Digitization: Rare Ayurvedic books, periodicals, and manuscripts will bedigitized, with digital copies provided to Berhampur University.Descriptive Cataloguing: A detailed catalogue titled "Descriptive Catalogue of AyurvedaManuscripts of SOCSC-BU, Odisha" will be prepared, featuring 44 distinct data fields to aidresearchers.

Global Accessibility: The catalogue will be hosted on the AMAR Portal, enabling worldwideaccess to metadata of these ancient texts.Research & Publication: Selected manuscripts will undergo transcription, transliteration andtranslation into modern languages, integrating ancient wisdom into contemporary medicaldiscourse.

Institutional Commitment

Prof. (Vaidya) Rabinarayan Acharya, Director General, CCRAS, emphasized that thisinitiative forms part of a national mission to document and validate India's traditionalknowledge systems. Prof. Geetanjali Das, Vice Chancellor of Berhampur University,highlighted that the partnership not only safeguards the manuscripts' physical integrity butalso enhances the university's stature as a global hub for cultural and medical heritagestudies.

Project Timeline and Ethics

The MoU will initially span two years. Both institutions have pledged adherence to strictconfidentiality and intellectual property protocols, ensuring that the manuscripts remainunder the custodianship of Berhampur University while responsibly sharing their knowledgewith the public.The programme is being coordinated by Dr. M.M. Rao, Director, CARI Bhubaneswar; Dr.Sarada Ota, Assistant Director (Ayu.), CARI Bhubaneswar and Dr. Santosh Mane, ResearchOfficer (Ay), NIIMH Hyderabad, in the gracious presence of the Officers and Staff of CARIBhubaneswar along with officials and dignitaries of Berhampur University.

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.