India Press Releases

U.S. Ambassador Mulford Presents Award For Preservation Of Ancient Palm-Leaf Manuscripts And Rare Books In UTC, Bangalore

September 28, 2006

CHENNAI, September 27:  In a brief ceremony held at the US Consulate General in Chennai on Wednesday, September 27, the US Ambassador to India, Mr. David C. Mulford, presented the Award granted from Ambassador’s Cultural Preservation Fund to Bangalore-based Union Theological College (UTC).

Principal of the College, Rev. O. V. Jathanna, received a US $ 15,000 first payment check from Ambassador Mulford for preservation of ancient palm-leaf manuscripts and rare books in the UTC archives and conversion of the information into microforms.

US Consul General in Chennai, Mr. David T. Hopper, Consul for Public Affairs in the US Consulate, Mr. Frederick J. Kaplan and UTC Librarian, Ms. Rita Wesley were present on the occasion.

Rare Collections in the UTC:

Established in 1910, the United Theological College in Bangalore is one of the leading institutions in the country that imparts theological education to students from all over the world.  In addition, the college also has strong departments in communications, religion and culture and women’s studies.  One the finest Theological Libraries in South Asia, UTC has a collection of 2,000 palm leaf manuscripts that are over 200 years old in several Indian languages, which are in urgent need of preservation.  The manuscripts bear testimony to the rich cultural heritage of India in the 18th and 19th centuries, and include folk literature, native medicinal formulae, religious writings, astrological texts, astronomical facts, records of cultural practices, traditional systems of medicine, veterinary, agricultural sciences and crafts and skills.  These manuscripts are important material for historical research and a treasure trove of ethnographic and historical information.

Besides these palm leaves, UTC has some rare and historic written material such as Mahatma Gandhi’s letters to a few Christian leaders, the First Tamil Bible printed in India and the writings of the famous 18^th century Tamil Christian poet-singer, Vedanayagam Sastriar of Tanjore, apart from innumerable historical documents relating to the history of Christianity in South India.

The main aim of the project is to preserve and make available the invaluable information in the palm leaf manuscripts and rare books to researchers.

The Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation:

Through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation, the US Department of State helps eligible countries around the globe preserve historic sites and manuscripts, museum collections, and traditional forms of expression such as music, dance, and language.  The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs administers the Fund, established by Congress in 2001 to assist eligible countries in preserving their cultural heritage.

To date, the Ambassador’s Fund has supported 292 projects, worldwide, totaling $6.7million.  Funded projects include technical support for the restoration of historic buildings; assessment and conservation of museum collections; archaeological site preservation; documentation to save threatened traditional crafts; improved storage conditions for archives and manuscripts; recording oral history; and documentation of indigenous languages.

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