Epic in the Making: India’s Global Manuscript Meet Puts a Million Stories Under One Roof

India will host a milestone international conference called Reclaiming India's Knowledge Legacy Through Manuscript Heritage from September 11 to 13, 2025, in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. As part of celebrating Swami Vivekananda's groundbreaking 1893 speech in the Parliament of the World's Religions, the conference is intended to showcase India's glorious manuscript heritage and restore civilisational continuity.

Key Highlights

Over 10 million national manuscripts will be the highlight, including philosophy, science, medicine, mathematics, literature, rituals, and arts

There will be 500 delegates out of which 75 are prominent scholars and cultural custodians from India and overseas

Thematic sessions will include conservation, digitisation, metadata standards, palaeographic studies, AI-based archival practice, and ethical custodianship

Side Events & Initiatives

A variety of different manuscript presentations, conservation demonstrations, presentations of culture, and workshops will enhance the experience

A Manuscript Research Associate programme will be introduced to engage young researchers through script labs and online content production

Start-up regions will have innovations in access and manuscript preservation

Anticipated Outcomes

Embracing the New Delhi Declaration on Manuscript Heritage

Formation of professional working groups for decipherment, translation, and digital conservation

Long-term institutional partnerships for international and domestic collaboration

Outlook The seminar will likely infuse new energy into India's tradition of manuscripts and establish India as a global leader in traditions of knowledge. It also reflects a growing interest in saving and integrating ancient knowledge in contemporary discourse.

Sources: Tribune India, Hindustan Times, Indira Gandhi Centre for National Arts, Ministry of Culture India