1,500 manuscripts, 40K rare books adorn shelves of Panjab University’s AC Joshi Library

Radhika Pasrija

Chandigarh, November 27

In December 1958, the then Vice-President of India, Dr S Radhakrishnan, laid the foundation stone for Panjab University’s AC Joshi Library. A year later, books were shifted from Shimla (then Simla) to the partially constructed library building here. In 1963, the library was formally inaugurated by Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. Since then, the library has been offering unmatched information and facilities to students, faculty members and research scholars.

At present, of the about 8 lakh documents that the library houses, there are 1,493 manuscripts, 40,000 rare books, more than six lakh books and over 1 lakh periodicals. The oldest manuscripts belong to the 9th and 10th centuries.

Mritunjay Kumar, assistant archivist at AC Joshi Library, stated, “The manuscripts are available in six to seven languages, including Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Punjabi (Gurmukhi script). The texts are primarily associated with inter-faith studies. Till now, as many as 1,100 manuscripts have been digitised. The remaining 393 manuscripts are too brittle to touch, but the plan of getting them digitised in the most scientific manner is in the pipeline.” He added that they have preserved one of the first 300 copies of the Constitution.

Among the rare books that have been digitised is 20 centuries of great European painting: A collection of masterpieces. Copies of the Bhagavad Gita translated into Gurmukhi in the 18th century adorn the archive section of the library.

Since the 2017–18 fiscal year, the library budget has witnessed an increase of Rs 3.4 crore. “In 2017–18, funds to the tune of Rs 3 crore were allotted to the library, which rose to Rs 5.91 crore in 2018–19. The 2023–24 budget for physical and e-resources amounts to Rs 6.4 crore,” said Deputy Librarian Neeraj Kumar Singh.

Prof Harsh Nayyar, director of PU’s research and development cell, said the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) team that recently visited the campus was amazed by the collection of books, historical texts and exclusive resources at the library. Vice-Chancellor Prof Renu Vig said efforts to digitise older texts are under way.