Consider the following statements. National Mission for Manuscripts (N...
Only statement 1 is correct.
- India possesses an estimated 10 million manuscripts in 80 ancient scripts like Brahmi, Kushan, Gaudi, Lepcha, and Maithili, says the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), an autonomous body under the Culture Ministry, which is mandated with preserving the vast manuscript wealth of India.
- Manuscripts are written on materials such as palm leaf, paper, cloth, and bark on themes ranging from history and religion to literature, astrology, and agricultural practice. While 75% of the existing manuscripts are in Sanskrit, 25% are in regional languages.
Consider the following statements. National Mission for Manuscripts (N...
Statement 1: National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture is mandated with preserving the vast manuscript wealth of India.
This statement is correct. The National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) is indeed an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture in India. Its primary mandate is to preserve and conserve the vast manuscript wealth of the country. The NMM was established in 2003 to survey, document, digitize, and preserve the valuable manuscripts available in different languages and scripts across India. It also promotes research and publications related to manuscripts.
Statement 2: Manuscripts are written only on palm leaf.
This statement is incorrect. Manuscripts in India are not limited to being written only on palm leaf. While palm leaf manuscripts are indeed prevalent and have been widely used historically, manuscripts are also written on various other materials such as paper, birch bark, cloth, metal, and even stone. Different regions and time periods in India have seen the use of different materials for manuscript writing.
Statement 3: More than 90% of the existing manuscripts are in Sanskrit.
This statement is incorrect. While Sanskrit has been an important language for manuscript writing in India, it is not the only language. India has a rich tradition of manuscript writing in various languages including but not limited to Sanskrit, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, and Urdu. Manuscripts have been written in multiple languages depending on the region, religious texts, literary works, and historical context. Therefore, it cannot be stated that more than 90% of the existing manuscripts are in Sanskrit.
In conclusion, only one of the above statements is correct, which is the first statement stating that the National Mission for Manuscripts (NMM) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture mandated with preserving the vast manuscript wealth of India.
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