Historian ready to sell manuscripts on eBay, courtesy govt apathy

Ajay Ramola

Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, February 26

Mussoorie-based chronicler Gopal Bhardwaj is fed up with the indifference of the state government towards preserving two rare and old Sanskrit manuscripts “Bhagwat Puran Tika” and “Panchang”. He is now planning to sell these on online marketplace eBay or donate it to other state.

It has been a wild-goose chase of more than five years for Bhardwaj to convince the authorities to preserve the two manuscripts dating back to 1590 and 1806, but he has received only false promises.

Bhardwaj had contacted the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which took the manuscripts and promised to restore these a year ago at the cost of around Rs 92,327. However, it has done nothing. Instead of preserving the manuscripts, which are torn at the edges and are disintegrating gradually, the ASI has returned these to me with only an antique declaration certificate attached to it as a token of compensation, citing paucity of funds.

The Sanskrit manuscripts are in loose form on both sides. They are in rectangular (L.35.8 cm X B.18.5 cm) comprising around 2,500 pages. It was presented to his father RGR Bhardwaj, a famous astrologer, in 1940-45 and the Bhardwaj family had preserved two manuscripts ever since.

Bhardwaj says he met former Governor Aziz Qureshi, present Governor KK Paul, Secretary of the Cultural Department and requested them to help him in his pious endeavor but received only assurances that are yet to materialise.

Following the media outcry, some persons promised to assist him but no help has come forward so far, said a dejected Bhardwaj, who has brought back the manuscripts from the ASI and is contemplating to either donate it to some other state or sell it on eBay.