Guwahati, Jan 16 (PTI) Over 1.28 million pages of rare manuscripts, journals, and books in Assamese have been digitised.

This marks a significant milestone in safeguarding and promoting Assamese literature, said Narayan Sharma, president of the Assam Jatiya Bidyalay (AJB) Educational and Socio-Economic Trust.

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The digitisation work was done over 36 months, he said.

"This is a vital asset for researchers, students, and the global Assamese community. It ensures the timeless legacy of Assam is preserved with the aid of cutting-edge technology," Sharma said.

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Among the literary works digitised are 26,000 'Xasipats', manuscripts on Vaishnavism, Buddhism, and Assamese traditions.

The project is a collaborative effort between the Nanda Talukdar Foundation (NTF) and the AJB Educational and Socio-Economic Trust, with support from Asam Sahitya Sabha, Dibrugarh University, and corporates such as Oil India Limited, NRL, and ONGC.

The digitised collection features nearly all editions of Orundoi, Assam's first magazine, alongside other iconic publications like Bahi, Abahan, and Ramdhenu.

Additionally, the repository includes 33,970 books and 41,071 journal issues, all of which are accessible for free, he said.

The second phase aims to integrate OCR-AI technology to enable advanced keyword-based search, revolutionising how researchers and scholars access these materials, NTF secretary Mrinal Talukdar said.

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