Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: In a significant step towards safeguarding Goa’s fading intellectual and cultural inheritance, Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant chaired the first Governing Council meeting of the newly constituted Goa State Mission for Manuscripts, signalling a shift from ad-hoc preservation to a structured, State-led knowledge conservation framework.
Established in fulfilment of the Budgetary Assurance, the Mission aims to identify, document and protect thousands of rare manuscripts scattered across temples, private collections and institutions — many of which face the risk of decay, neglect or loss.
“Manuscripts are not just old documents; they are living records of our knowledge systems, values and civilisational continuity. Preserving them is a responsibility towards our past and a gift to our future generations,” Chief Minister Dr. Pramod Sawant said.
The meeting, attended by the Secretary, Director and Governing Council members, laid out an ambitious roadmap to reclaim Goa’s manuscript wealth. Key decisions included launching a State-wide survey to map manuscript holdings, integrating private repositories into a formal conservation network, and positioning the Mission as the nodal agency for implementing the Gyan Bharatam Mission of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
A major thrust will be the creation of a centralized manuscripts repository and a comprehensive digital State Manuscripts Database — aimed at ensuring both physical preservation and scholarly access. The Council also emphasised capacity-building programmes to revive the reading of ancient scripts and generate public awareness about Goa’s manuscript tradition and Indic knowledge systems.
By institutionalising manuscript preservation, the State Government seeks to prevent irreversible knowledge loss and place Goa firmly on India’s cultural and academic map.
Dr. Sawant underscored that the Mission is not merely about conservation, but about restoring pride in Goa’s intellectual heritage and ensuring that centuries-old wisdom continues to inform contemporary society.
