New Delhi: A group of archivists, scholars, historians, students, among others from across the world has called for transparency in the proposed demolition of annexes which form part of the National Archives of India (NAI) in order to make way for the Central Vista project.The online petition, which is now open for the public to view and sign, has already garnered support from more than 3,800 scholars, archivists and cultural personalities from across the world at the last count.While stating that the resources which are being deployed for the project concerned can be diverted to ramp up facilities to tackle the pandemic, the petition said that if the government is still inclined to go ahead with the project, it must be transparent in the process, and answer a number of questions arising due to the demolition of a historical repository.The petition said several centuries of India’s history lie in the documents that make up the NAI. “The archival records include 4.5 million files, 25,000 rare manuscripts, more than 100,000 maps, treaties, 280,000 premodern documents and several thousand private papers. These documents are naturally brittle and require delicate, expert handling. The loss or damage of a single object or archival record would be an irrevocable loss,” it added. The petitioners have also called out the opaque manner in which the project is being executed. They said there should have been public consultations on how to manage this delicate process. Ideally, there should have been a National Commission on Public Records instituted that consisted of eminent scholars, archivists, preservationists, members of civil society, in addition to civil servants, it added. As regards the questions the project is likely to set off are: “Where will the temporary archive be housed? How can accredited scholars and the general public continue to access the records in the temporary holding? Will there be no access to these records until the records have been relocated to an unspecified future repository of the archival materials? Who is managing this process and who will be accountable for any loss of documents?” Reproduced below is the full statement of the online petition. §May 17, 2021We, the undersigned, call on the Government of India to provide clarity on the proposed demolition of part of the National Archives as part of the Central Vista Project. On January 15, 2021 the Director of the Ahmedabad-based firm HCP who is the principal designer of the Central Vista project confirmed that while the original National Archives building would remain intact, the annexe portions would be removed. On February 10, 2021 the Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs (Independent Charge) Hardeep Singh Puri, told the Rajya Sabha that the heritage building of the National Archives would be retained as part of the Central Vista project. More recent media reports in April 2021 note that the main National Archives building will be refurbished but at a later stage. Given the lack of clarity within public discourse on this issue we would like to draw attention to the fact that the historical, archival materials of the National Archives are kept substantially in the annexe buildings – and these buildings are slated for demolition soon. This raises several questions that are of urgent concern to researchers in India and globally, as well as the general public. Several centuries of India’s history lie in the documents that make up the National Archives of India. The archival records include 4.5 million files, 25,000 rare manuscripts, more than 100,000 maps, treaties, 280,000 premodern documents and several thousand private papers. These documents are naturally brittle and require delicate, expert handling. The loss or damage of a single object or archival record would be an irrevocable loss. These historical documents, maps and objects are not only central to the modern Indian nation but germane to broader academic research on the South Asian subcontinent and the reconstruction of global histories of migration, political, economic and cultural exchange. In arbitrarily deciding to demolish the buildings in which they are housed and which form the primary site for scholars to access these records, the Government of India is failing in its responsibility not only to its citizens but also to a universal, global heritage. Specifically, the opaque manner in which the demolition of the National Archives property is being conducted is extremely concerning. A large-scale renovation of the national archive holding area for documents, reading rooms and facilities for research scholars was undertaken over several years and completed as recently as 2018. If indeed the removal of archival materials is unavoidable – which we disagree with – then certain procedures urgently need to be instituted to build public confidence. For example, there have been no public consultations on how to manage this delicate process. Ideally, there should have been a National Commission on Public Records instituted that consisted of eminent scholars, archivists, preservationists, members of civil society, in addition to civil servants. This commission should have overseen the process and reported to a dedicated parliamentary committee and the media regularly. Questions which require immediate answers include: Where will the temporary archive be housed? How can accredited scholars and the general public continue to access the records in the temporary holding? Will there be no access to these records until the records have been relocated to an unspecified future repository of the archival materials? Who is managing this process and who will be accountable for any loss of documents? These are urgent questions that remain unanswered given the lack of any transparent communication regarding this shut down of research at India’s National Archives even as the demolition of the annexe buildings have been cleared. A scenario where the central archive of a democratic nation was moved in such uncertain terms and for such an uncertain duration during peacetime is unheard of. May we remind the government that public historical records are the backbone of democratic nations. Preservation of historical records and public access to those records are fundamental duties of an elected government. The haphazard manner in which the National Archives, and other historical materials in the National Museum and IGNCA, are being treated puts our collective memory at grave risk. Given that state capacity is stretched due to the ongoing pandemic, the best option would be to abandon the demolition of the National Archives at this stage. Should the government not be inclined to do so, then we urge for transparency in the process, and a clear, professional approach to ensure safety of materials and unhindered access to these invaluable records.2) Select Signatories: We have culled 100 signatures out of 3828. The aim is to showcase the breadth and diversity. The first 70 are faculty/archivists; the following 30 are more broadly civil society/arts/students/etc.Tassadaque Hussain, Deputy Director (Retired), National Archives of IndiaIndrani Chatterjee, Professor of History, The University of Texas at AustinLakshmi Subramanian, Professor of History, BITS Pilani GoaBidisha Chakraborty, Archivist West Bengal State ArchivesMoideen Thottasery, Associate Professor of History, Government College Malappuram, KeralaJag Jeevan Kale, President Maratha Mahasabha, Secretary Shahir ahe Etihas Sanshodhan, MaharashtraR.P. Goldman, William and Catherine Magistretti Distinguished Professor of Sanskrit, University of California at Berkeley Prof. G. Arunima, Director, Kerala Council for Historical Research, TrivandrumBarbara D. Metcalf, Professor of History Emerita, University of California, DavisKesavan Veluthat, Professor of History (Retd.), University of DelhiDr Satya Vrata Tripathi, Ex-Curator, Security Officer, National Museum,IndiaPrasannan Parthasarathi, Professor of History, Boston College Thomas Metcalf, Emeritus Professor of History, University of California, BerkeleyAijaz Ahmad, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Irvine Renisa Mawani, Professor, Sociology, University of British ColumbiaDilip M Menon, Professor, University of Witwatersrand, South AfricaDr. Anagha Bhat Behere, Assistant Professor, Savitribai Phule Pune UniversityDr Anita Rane-Kothare, Head and Associate Professor, Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Archaeology St. Xavier’s College Mumbai, Vice president Museum society of Mumbai, President Bombay Local History SocietyDr. C. Justin Selvaraj, Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Fine Arts and Aesthetics, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai Dr. Chinnaiah Jangam, Associate Professor, Carleton University, Canada Dr Shekhar Krishnan, Heritage Conservation Cell, Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai Prachi Deshpande Associate Professor, CSSSC, IndiaManu V. Devadevan, Assistant Professor of History, Indian Institute of Technology Mandi Radhika Singha, Professor, CHS, JNUChitta Panda, Former Secretary & Curator, Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, IndiaProf. Elleke Boehmer, World Literature in English, University of Oxford, U.K.Emma Teng, Professor, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyProfessor Dr. John S. Gaikwad, Anthropologist, Tribal Research Institute, Pune, MaharashtraTiatoshi Jamir, Professor of Archaeology, Nagaland University, Kohima, Nagaland, IndiaBhavani Raman, Associate Professor, University of TorontoJongmin Lee, Assistant Professor, University of Science and Technology, KoreaRavi Ahuja, Professor of Modern Indian History, University of Goettingen, Germany Sugavanam Murugan. Editor, SASANAM, Krishnagiri District Historical Research Centre, Hosur, Tamil NaduDuli Ete, Assistant Professor, Dera Natung Govt. College, Itanagar, Arunachal PradeshAnia Loomba, Professor, University of Pennsylvania Dr. Gladson Jathanna, Department of History, Pacific Theological College, Fiji Islands Dr. Amrita Mondal, Assistant Professor, Department of History, University of North Bengal Kavas Kapadia, Professor of Planning, School of Planning and Architecture, DelhiAbdiel Sánchez Revilla, Professor, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, MéxicoReiko Lida, Associate Professor, Kanazawa University, JapanDr.S.Theresammal, Assistant Professor of History, St.Mary’s College,Thoothukudi Maitreyee Deshpande, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, PuneDr. Gajanan Kortalwar, Gondwana University, Maharashtra, India Hugo Gorringe, Co-Director, Centre for South Asian Studies, EdinburghR. Saji Kumar, Archivist (Rtd), State Archives Dept. KeralaDr.Sanjiv Bodkhe, Associate Professor, Dept.of History, Sharadchandra Pawar Mahavidyalaya Lonand Tal Khandal Dist.Satara, Shivaji University Kolhapur, MaharashtraDr. Sharda Devi, Assistant Professor of History, Himachal Pradesh University Shimla.Dr. Ramesh Chandra Kalita, Ex-president, North East India History Association, Shillong, MeghalayaBetylda Mary Jyrwa, Professor, North Eastern Hill University, ShillongDeepak Malghan, Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore Geetha Venkataraman, Professor of Mathematics, Ambedkar University DelhiDavid Ludden, Professor of History, New York UniversityNeeladri Bhattacharya, Visiting Professor, Ashoka UniversityAjantha Subramanian, Professor of Anthropology and South Asian Studies, Harvard University, USADr Victoria Haskins, Professor of History, Director of Purai Global Indigenous History Centre, The University of Newcastle, AustraliaMr Sanjay Shripati Paikrao, Department of History and Ancient Indian Culture, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad Rupa Viswanath, Professor, University of Göttingen Robert Cribb, Professor of Asian History, Australian National UniversityProfessor Brian Larkin, Barnard College, Columbia University, USADr Javeed Ul Aziz, Assistant Professor, Department of History , University of KashmirJagdeep Chhokar, Former Professor and Dean, I.I.M. Ahmedabad Atul Bhalekar, Director, Trirashmi Research Institute of Buddhism, Indic Languages & ScriptsDipesh Chakrabarty, The University of ChicagoTansen Sen, Professor, Director of Center for Global Asia, NYU ShanghaiProf. A. Kakoti Mahanta, Gauhati University Samita Sen, Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, University of CambridgeDr. Felix Padel, Research Associate, Centre for World Environment History, University of Sussex Abul Kashem, Professor of History, University of Rajshahi, BangladeshSwapan K Chakravorty, Chairperson, Centre for Studies in Social Sciences Calcutta, and former Director-General, National Library of IndiaNasmeem Farhin Akhtar, Associate Professor and Head, Department of English, Chairperson, Centre for Women’s Studies, Dibrugarh University, Dibrugarh, AssamAlessandro Passi, Associate Professor of Sanskrit, University of Bologna, Italy Leela Samson, DancerMaya Krishna Rao, Theatre ArtistParanjoy Guha Thakurta, Independent Journalist, Author, Documentary film-makerNeeraj Bhagat, Conservation ArchitectChiki Sarkar, Publisher, Juggernaut Book’Jaishree Misra, AuthorSonia Faleiro, Author Kiran Desai, AuthorMallika Sarabhai, Director, Darpana, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, IndiaAparna Sen, Film MakerUdita Bhargava, Film MakerC. Rammanohar Reddy, Editor, ‘The India Forum’Riddhi Dastidar, Journalist, Khabar LahariyaVenkitesh Ramakrishnan, Senior Associate Editor, Frontline Magazine, New DelhiAnand Sharma, Tourist Guide Kiran Banga Chhokar, Trustee, Association for Democratic ReformsVilayat Ali, General Secretary, Ladakh Cycling AssociationDr. Ramkrishna Chatterjee, Publication Secretary, The Asiatic Society, KolkataDr. Vikrant Kishore, Filmmaker/Academic, Melbourne, AustraliaPriyanka Panjwani, Conservation Architect, ICOMOS memberGovind Manoharan, Advocate, Supreme Court of IndiaSancia Sequeira, Tour Guide, Government of IndiaUma Tanuku, Documentary Filmmaker, India Premjish Achari, Curator and Art CriticBhavna Kakar, TAKE On Art magazine, Publisher, New Delhi Kaushik Saha, Founder & Secretary, Society for Understanding Culture & History in India (SUCHI)Sudhanva Deshpande, LeftWord BooksDr Varunika Saraf, Artist and Art historian Srinivas Murthy G, President, Architecture and Design Foundation (India) Pradyatan Bera, FilmmakerGeetika Kalha I.A.S. (Retd.)Dr. Mansee Bal Bhargava, Environmental Design Consultants, Ahmedabad Varsha A R, Conservation Architect, Heritage Matters, BangaloreShivangini Yeashu Yuvraj – Vocalist, Teacher, Music EntrepreneurEkta Rawat, DU graduate, Ex-tour guide at National MuseumAnushka Singh, Student, National Museum InstituteAlemtemshi Jamir, Rtd Chief Secretary, NagalandGautam Mukhopadhaya, IFS (Retd)Cyrus Guzder, Trustee, The Asiatic Society of Mumbai Shireen Sethna Baria, Advocate Tanima Paul, Ph.D. Research Scholar, Visva BharatiShubha Pal Bahl, Library activist, The Community Library ProjectRithik Pramod, BA Honours Archaeology and Ancient history Student, Maharaja Sayajirao, University of BarodaJaishree Misra, AuthorAlarmel Valli, Director, Dipasikha Dance Foundation Harshal Sonekar, Researcher, ICMR- National Institute of EpidemiologyNayanika Panja, Postgraduate student of Anthropology, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Citizen Historian of 1947 Partition archive Ayan Roy, Assistant Executive Engineer, Assam Irrigation Department Cholleti Prabhakar, IAS (Rtd.), Democrats Forum, Telangana Dr. Indranil Mallick, Consultant Radiation Oncologist, Tata Medical Center KolkataSagnik Mukherjee, Master’s Student, MSc. Cartography, Technical University MunichNidhi Singh, Children’s books illustratorZahir Anwar, playwright and director, Sharjeel Arts, KolkataMr. Priyank Sukanand, Co-founder, Queer Collective India Surajkumar Thube, DPhil student, University of Oxford 3) The complete ongoing list of signatories can be viewed HERE4) The petition remains open and interested parties can SIGN HERE
