August 18 was a notable day in the calendar of the Asiatic Society, as Honourable Governor of Maharashtra, His Excellency Shri Jishnu Dev Varma visited the library, first time since he took over as the Governor in March this year. He was received by the President of the Society Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Society, Dr. Bhalchandra Mungekar, Hon. Secretary Vivek Ganpule.
Governor visited the library, viewed the rich collection of books, rare manuscripts, conservation of antique books, maps and manuscripts, and interacted with the Staff engaged in conservation. Along with the rare books the Hon. Governor also saw the Sopara relics, some rare coins in the Society’s collection.
Hon. Governor addressed the small gathering of the Managing Committee members, Scrutinizing Committee members, the staff members at the historic Darbar Hall of the Society. He lauded the efforts of conservation and emphasized on the need to preserve heritage and pass it on to posterity. Books are also part of our cultural heritage and he drew attention to the need for attracting younger generation to be part of the cultural and intellectual heritage. He also called for making the library a vibrant and dynamic institution, constantly alive with readers, researchers and seekers of knowledge.
During the visit, President Dr. Sahasrabuddhe submitted a charter of demands to the Hon. Governor. The Governor announced a donation of Rs 20 lakh to the Asiatic Society for preservation and conservation of books.
The visit was significant, also for a personal connect it brought about. Hon. Governor hails from the state of Tripura and he was happy to see the book, ‘Rajaratnakaram’, a book related to the history of Tripura, that records the history of the royal family of Tripura. Governor said that although the work has been widely discussed in Tripura, he had never personally seen the book there. He said that he was delighted and honoured to have the opportunity to see this historic work for the first time today at the Asiatic Library in Mumbai.
The “Rajaratnakaram’ book, a rare book in Sanskrit has been digitized and is available for readers through Society’s Granth Sanjeevani portal. The book was printed at His Highness’ Press during the reign of Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya Deb Bahadur with illustrations from photographs taken by the Maharaja himself.
