So its been more than a year I have being deferring my Newsletter. So finally I overcome laziness.
I am on a minor world-tour. started with budget-friendly Serbia/Montenegro/Albania/Kosovo/North Macedonia to NY to Costa Rica and now Yoga rich Bocas El Toro, Panama with the supreme convenience of only using US Dollars.
Lots of Happening Discoveries and Digitizations.
Mumukshu Bhawan, Varanasi
We discovered about a unknow library in Mumukshu Bhawan, Varanasi – courtesy Jagadanand Jha ji, Chief Librarian Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan of Lucknow. Permission was granted very easily but when we started working at the Library with 3 Almirahs of rare books and many manuscripts – my staff discovered there was another Library – supposed to be only for Monastics and locked for as long as anyone could remember.
The Managament was most kind in breaking the locks for us and we discovered 10 Almirahs and 2 boxes of books with some manuscripts. Most books were pre-1950s.
The 2500 books that we got to scan in the last 1 year can be seen below:https://archive.org/details/@mumukshu_bhawan?and[]=subject%3A%22eGangotri-35%22
We need another two months to complete the entire Library.
Our experience at Mumukshu yet again proves my Thesis – how our Textual heritage is so lavaris(लावारिस)/abandoned mode. In Mumukshu – minus Gita Press and Anand Ashram books – atleast 70% of texts are unique and unknown items which no one can find in any bookstore or even a catalog of a Library.
Speaking of our lavaris – abandoned mode – heritage, one of our volunteers shared this pictures of a Library in Ayodhya
https://egangotri.wordpress.com/2021/11/21/snaps-of-ram-granthalaya-ayodhya/
and you can see how a amazing resource on Rama Bhakti exists but so ill maintianed and due to non-digitization out-of-bounds to anyone.
Other Benares CollectionsOur Work at Jangamwadi has crossed 1000+https://archive.org/details/@jangamwadi
All Paper manuscripts have been digitized. The Palm Leaf Manuscripts are still untouched awaiting repairs. Books are being scanned. 50% of the 8 Almirahs have deen digitized. As usual we digitize the cream first – so most of the important books are already out there
Ved Nidhi Collection at 500+https://archive.org/details/@veda_nidhi
Sharada Manuscripts from Kashmir.So Pandemic no bars – people who were always elusive – were actually at home and we digitized profusely all over Kashmir.
https://archive.org/details/@egangotri_manuscript_space?&and[]=subject%3A%22eGangotri-35%22
Yes 194 Manuscripts in 1 Year.
Manuscripts found at Parna-Kuti of IT-Graduate Turned Hermit/Recluse/Scholar Shri Mrugendra Vinod
Internet Archive Search: subject%3A%22Mrugendra%20Vinod%20Ji%20Collection%22
Internet Archive Search: subject%3A%22Mrugendra%20Vinod%20Ji%20Collectio…
308 Texts from Kashmir Reaserach Institute, Srinagar.
https://archive.org/details/@kashmirresearchinstitute?and[]=subject%3A%22eGangotri-35%22
Curios found. Takri/Urdu Dual script Sainik Dand Vidhan ( Military Penal Code Manual )
Shri Ranbir Singh Sainik Dand Vidhi Yani Jangi Kanoon Military Penal Code Jammu 1887 Takri And Urdu Dual Script Printed Text Jammu And Kashmir State : Jammu and Kashmir State : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Shri Ranbir Singh Sainik Dand Vidhi Yani Jangi Kanoon Military Penal Cod…Kashmir Research Institute, Srinagar, ‘Shri Ranbir Singh Sainik Dand Vidhi Yani Jangi Kanoon Military Penal Code…
27 Texts from Lahore.
https://archive.org/details/@kashmirresearchinstitute?query=lahore&and[]=subject%3A%22eGangotri-35%22
1868 PanchangDevanagari Panchang 1868 Anon : Anon : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
Samnameh a Kashmiri-Persian Epic
Saamnameh Kashmiri Vol 1 Srinagar Syed Amir Shah Sahib : Syed amir Shah Sahib : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
The Celebrated Farsi Epic Shahnama in Kashmiri Translation 1938
Shahnama In Kashmiri Vol 6 1938 Ghula Mohd Publisher : Ghula Mohd Publisher : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
External News:
Dhaval Patel. RTI. Battle
After seven long years, IAS Officer/DM Dhaval Patel jis RTI battle to get all NMM Digitized Data of 3 Lakh Manuscripts in Public Domain finally came through.
Govt. Executive Order to NMM can be seen below:
https://egangotri.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2021-10-30-185406nmm_order-1-1.pdf
Digital Amiruddaula library.
Kudos to Govt of UP, Lucknows iconic Amir-ud-Daula Library is going digital.
https://lucknowdigitallibrary.com/
NMM Catalogs Volunteers have provided a nice User Friendly Interface to NMM Catalog Data.
http://nmm.sanskritdictionary.com/
eGangotri Digital Preservation Trust 