Aims and objectives
EAP1475 proposed to digitise a large number of old, rare books at the library of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj in Kolkata, India. This material included the private papers of Sophia Dobson Collet (1822-1894), the biographer of Raja Rammohun Roy who meticulously collected information relating to the history and activities of Brahmo Samaj. Bound volumes of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj minute books (dating from their inception in 1878 to the 1950s) as well their trust fund books were also selected for digitisation. The digital preservation of these collections will shed a new light on the socio-cultural and intellectual trends in late 19th and early 20th century Bengal.
Outcomes
The EAP1475 project team achieved their aims and preserved three collections of archival material: the 58 volumes of private records written and collected by Sophia Dobson Collet, 19 volumes of minutes from Sadharan Brahmo Samaj meetings and 2 volumes of their trust fund books. Out of these three collections, only Collet’s private papers were written entirely in English. The other two collections contain portions written in Bengali.
This material is still housed in the library of the Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, Kolkata. The digital copies have been deposited in the following institutions:
- Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, Kolkata
- Urban History Documentation Archives, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata (the Archival Partner)
- Centre for Research and Preservation of Cultural Heritage at Deshabandhu Mahavidyalaya, Chittaranjan (the Host Institution)
- Endangered Archives Programme, British Library, United Kingdom
The results of the project have been disseminated with the inauguration of the “Centre for Research and Preservation of Cultural Heritage” at the host institution, Deshabandhu Mahavidyalaya, by the Honourable Vice Chancellor of Kazi Nazrul University, Prof. Debashis Bhattacharya. This was followed by a dissemination seminar entitled “Exploring the Archival Records of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj” attended by Mr. Abhijit Bhattacharya, the Documentation Officer of the Urban History Documentation Archives at the Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata, along with other dignitaries. The outcome of the project has been uploaded to host institution’s website and can be read here.
The following Methodology Report was submitted as part of the project outputs:
