What is National Archive Library?
National Archives of India, earlier known as the Imperial Research Department,
is the storehouse of the non-current records
of the Government of India starting from the year 1978.
It was originally
established as Imperial Record Department in 1891 in Calcutta with G .W
Forrest (Professor of Elphinstone College, Bombay), as an
officer in charge.
Inspiringly, the institution has worked very hard to examine, transfer, arrange and catalogue records of all
departments and to organize a central library
in place of various departmental libraries.
The records that are stored here
are of four types:
1. Public Records
2. Oriental Records
3. Manuscripts
4. Private Papers
What does these records contain?
These records range from the official records
of the government, letters written by many famous politicians and
bureaucrats, accounts of common people etc. The records are found in a wide
range of languages from English to Arabic, Hindi, Persian, Sanskrit and Urdu.
The material used for these records include paper, palm leaf, birch bark, and
parchment. In 1911, Imperial Record Department was transferred to the new
capital, New Delhi and shifted to the present building in 1926, which is
situated on the intersection of Janpath and Rajpath
in Delhi.
Only after Independence, the Imperial Research Department was
renamed as National Archives of India. This archive building was planned by
architect Edwin Lutyen and was built in neo-classical style.
Things really
started to change when in 1889, G .W Forrest was entrusted the job to examine the records of the Foreign Department of Government
of India.
In his report, he made a strong plea for transforming all records
of the administration of East India Company to a central repository, and so
the institution was born in 1891 under his leadership.
Journey of National Archives
After G .W Forrest, the
work at the Imperial Record Department progressed under the supervision of
S.C Hill (1900), C.R Wilson (1902), N.L Hallward (1904), E. Denison Ross
(1905), A.F Scholfield (1915), R.A Blaker (1919), J.M Mitra (1920) and Rai
Bahadur A.F.M .
Abdul Ali (1922 -1938) who were scholars and record keepers
in their own right. Gradually for the first time records were thrown open
for bonafide research in
1939 and by 1947 all pre 1902 records were available for consultation.
A
Conservation Research Laboratory Kanika Sharma was established in 1940 to
conduct researches into problems relating to conservation. Training in
archives was also introduced in 1941.
Then in 1947, the Department
Journal, the Indian Archives came into
existence which contained research papers on source
material of Modern Indian History, conservation of documents, records - management, reprographics, archival awareness, and all other applied aspects of functional archives.
National Archives of India has played a dynamic and
inspiring role in the archival field in the country. The National Archives of
India has a regional office at Bhopal and three record centers at Bhubaneswar,
Jaipur and Pondicherry.
The National Archives of India is headed by Director
General of Archives, who is assisted by Deputy Directors of Archives by
looking after various divisions like record management, administration, training, publication, library etc.
The institution and its fellow associates inspire a kind of
national pride in India's documented historical records and ensures its
preservation for the progeny. It fosters close relations between archivists and
archival institutions both at National and International level.
The "Museum of the National Archives" was declared open to general public on 6
July 1998 by the President o f India, Late Shri K.R. Narayan. Since then the Museum is working to promote an interest in archival holdings of India by
providing various services to masses and
public access to the resources.
For example, issuing of certified extracts of
documents for research by government agencies and
scholars, and also use of references by the media, and publications of records
is permitted.
Presently Used As:
It has been providing assistance to documentary film makers by
locating, and selecting the filming material of their interest. It also imparts training in short term certificate courses in archival management,
reprography, care and conservation of books, manuscripts
and archives, servicing and repair of records.
This institution has also helped
in promoting archival consciousness in the country by organizing thematic
exhibitions. The National Archives of India also
provides financial assistance to states archives,
voluntary organizations and other custodial institutions, so that the documentary heritage is preserved and archival science
is promoted.
Written By - Chavi Goel
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