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Ashoka Reflections_May 2023

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ASHOKA

REFLECTIONS

A S H O K A U N I V E R S I T Y ' S M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R

M A Y 2 0 2 3

Ashoka University receives INR 9.50 crore

PURSE grant from DST to accelerate

research on infectious diseases

BIG NEWS

Ashoka Reflections | Page 01

The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India has given a grant of INR 9.50 Crore to

Ashoka University under its ‘Promotion of University Research and Scientific Excellence’ (PURSE) programme

to accelerate research on the “Holistic View of Disease Dynamics in Indian Context”. The utilisation period of

the grant is 4 years.

INR 1 crore out of the total sanctioned amount will be utilised for the analysis of ancient DNA samples from

archaeological findings from various sites - a uniquely interdisciplinary project spanning from Disease

Biology to History (Archaeology), supported by the Department of Science and Technology.

The grant will be deployed for Ashoka’s ongoing research on the historical evolution of various diseases in

India, with a focus on their relation with climatic factors, food habits, demographic variations, age, gender

and socio-economic background of individuals. Further, to train students across a range of disciplines to

answer critical questions around such diseases. This will pave the way for the development of human

resource capacity as well as effective counter-strategies that are specifically suitable for the Indian context.

“Addressing the dynamic concerns around prevailing infectious diseases and potential future outbreaks

effectively requires an interdisciplinary approach, that takes into account inputs from natural as well as social

sciences. At Ashoka, this approach is the bedrock of our educational offerings and research initiatives.

Our excellent faculty body, as well as continued investments in research infrastructure, makes us well-

positioned to take on such challenges. We are grateful to the Department of Science and Technology for

recognising Ashoka’s research strength, and extending this prestigious grant for further research work”, said

Professor Somak Ray Chaudhury, Vice Chancellor, Ashoka University.

Speaking on the need for such a research initiative, Dr Anurag Agrawal, Dean, BioSciences and Health

Research, Trivedi School of Biosciences, Ashoka University, said, “In recent years, while on one side we have

observed the emergence of a large number of novel infectious agents like COVID-19, on the other many old

diseases like Tuberculosis are coming back along with new pathogen variants and causing major public

health problems. We do not have sufficient means of predicting what kind of pathogen is likely to emerge as

the next big threat, especially in the Indian context. Therefore, this research initiative will prepare the ground

for medical practitioners, experts and policymakers to develop cutting-edge solutions to such threats.”

Ashoka is currently making a big push into R&D, particularly by strengthening its capacity and offerings in

natural sciences. It is developing a new science campus next to the existing one in Sonepat (Haryana). The

new campus will house schools for biosciences, physical sciences, mathematics and advanced computing, in

addition to a dedicated science park and research laboratories. The university has also commenced various

cutting-edge research projects; it has entered into collaborations with industry and several other eminent

institutions for R&D in areas such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, genome analysis and novel

rare diseases, to name a few.

Launched in 2009, the main objective of the DST-PURSE program is to strengthen the research capacity of

performing Indian Universities, provide support for nurturing the research ecosystem and strengthen the

R&D base of the universities in the country. Ashoka is one of the 12 leading universities that have received

the grant under the DST-PURSE 2022 scheme.

Ashoka Reflections | Page 02

INR 1 crore out of the sanctioned amount is for

the analysis of ancient DNA samples from

archaeological findings from various sites

Ashoka Reflections | Page 03

In Focus

The Archives of Contemporary India (ACI) is one of the key resource centres of

Ashoka University. Established in 2017 to collect and preserve primary source

material such as private and institutional papers for the study of contemporary

Indian history, ACI aspires to grow into a leading centre for historical and social

science research and serve as an indispensable repository of public affairs in

India. Keeping in mind the latest trends in social science research, the main focus

of the Archives is to collect documents related to economic reforms initiated in the

1990s, science and technology, environment and climate change, women

empowerment, social, educational and political developments in the country,

growth of media in various forms and all other related themes and make the

research material available to the scholarly community at large.

C O V E R S T O R Y

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ARCHIVES OF CONTEMPORARY

INDIA: WHY THE PAST MATTERS

MORE THAN EVER

We aspire to the standards of the best and to become a vital educational

resource for the Ashoka community and beyond, writes Prof. Mahesh

Rangarajan

The Archives of Contemporary India at Ashoka came into being in January 2017 and upholds world-class

standards in archiving the recent past of the country. This requires us to preserve documents from India's

recent past since independence and in doing so make them available to scholars and students alike who hope

we all be informed better for the future. Unlike the National Archives of India or the State level in the different

states of the Indian Union, our focus is not on the government but on private papers. We focus mainly on

post-1947 on independent and emerging India. Ours is a broad canvas from civil society to journalism, the

women's movement and environment, and the worlds of literature and science.

Most international Universities such as Oxford or Princeton, Yale or Harvard house archives. We aspire to the

standards of the best and also to become a vital educational resource for the Ashoka community and beyond.

Our collection is built on contributions that are placed here not only because they will be preserved for

posterity but also accessible to scholars as per norms and rules of archives.

C O V E R S T O R Y

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The collection sheds light on matters great and small. For instance, the papers of the philosopher and

educationist, Dr S. Radhakrishnan India's first Vice President and second President include rare materials. These

include letters from all who contributed to the volume he edited on Gandhiji's 70th birthday, even one from Jan

Smuts who had been the latter's adversary in South Africa. The photos and documentary collections of the late

Captain Lakshmi have insight into the first ever women's regiment of the Indian National Army and much more

on her long and distinguished life. The papers acquired recently by scholar diplomat K.S. Bajpai pertain to

diplomacy and international relations dating back to the Indo-Pak conflict and Tashkent Talks.

The great playwright and veteran actor, Girish Karnad’s drafts and works are here with a doyen of Hindi

literature: Agyeya, donated recently by the Vatsal Nidhi trust. Most recently, Sai Paranjpye, a famous

screenwriter and movie director has agreed to archive her life’s work with us.

Environment and ecology is a particular area of focus. The Chandi Prasad Bhatt collection takes us to the early

years of the Chipko movement. The Divyabhanusinh papers have the early records of debate on the

reintroduction of the cheetah, an event that earlier this year made world headlines.

The history of independent India needs more study as we move towards the 100th anniversary of 15 August

1947. Among the sectors, we hope to explore are business history and civil society, all vital to those interested

in how the past shaped the future. We are also looking at collaborations with other universities and academic

institutions in India and abroad and documenting and archiving Ashoka University’s institutional history.

An archive is more than a record of the past. It serves as a beacon to the future. The key to this is not only the

assemblage but the preservation, cataloguing and keeping of the materials, print, visual or digital format in a

manner that survives the vagaries of time.

The Archives website launched last year reaches out to the larger community of scholars across the world. The

reference aids for the collections are prepared very meticulously by a select team of professionals. Our team is

small but high on expertise and motivation. We have a long way to go but have made a sound start.

(Prof. Mahesh Rangarajan is the Head of the Department of Environmental Studies; Professor of History and

Environmental Studies and Chair, Archives of Contemporary India, Ashoka University)

C O V E R S T O R Y

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Ashoka Reflections | Page 07

BUILDING AN ARCHIVES OF

PERSONAL PAPERS: AN INCREDIBLE

SIX-YEAR JOURNEY

Keeping in view the evolving dynamics of acquisition and preservation of

archival resources we aspire to build a research facility of international

standards with the best archival practices in place, writes Deepa Bhatnagar

Archives are a treasure trove of memories and knowledge and are an essential medium for understanding the

historical trajectory of a nation. The Archives of Contemporary India was started with the aim of building and

managing a rich and diverse collection of archival resources to promote and support the use of primary source

material for research on the modern and contemporary history of India. The objective was to create a

repository of public affairs that can inform, enlighten and educate us about our nation’s rich cultural, social and

political heritage and to facilitate researchers from far and wide to make use of the sources in our Archives.

The decision to establish an archive of private papers at Ashoka University through the donation of papers by

eminent individuals who have contributed singularly to the emergence of India as a nation and of institutions

that have played a key role in the development of literature, arts, sciences, civil society, business and other

spheres of public life was considered a bold initiative, impassable too by some. With over three decades of

archival experience in a research institution, I was clearly aware of the arduous task ahead. But our six-year

journey that began in January 2017 turned out to be a most exhilarating one.

It is never easy to convince people to part with their life’s memorable treasures - notes, diaries, letters,

manuscripts, photos, etc. One has to work towards building a rapport with the donors to earn their faith and

goodwill. To begin with, a list of prospective donors was drawn up with the help of Prof. Mahesh Rangarajan,

the Chair of the Archives. Taking advantage of his wide range of personal and professional contacts, we wrote

to a select set of eminent people for their papers with the dual offer of preserving their heritage for posterity

using the best archival practices as well as making their life’s work available for research and study. We were

pleasantly surprised when we started getting enthusiastic responses to our request letters.

We were fortunate to have Dr Manmohan Singh as our first donor. A valuable collection (digital) of his private

papers comprising speeches and writings, interviews, photos and videos covering the period 1957-2014 was

given to the Archives. Then came the response from Kuldip Nayar. After we convincingly explained to him the

Archives project, he readily agreed but wanted some assurances. We then realized the need for a written

agreement with the donor. Armed with a letter of agreement we assured him that the Archives was only the

custodian and that he (or his legal heirs) would continue to be the owner of his papers.

Ashoka Reflections | Page 08

Early on, we made persistent efforts to build our trust and goodwill with prospective donors. This entailed

country-wide travel. In a fairly short span of time, we achieved extraordinary success in the collection of the

papers of some notable personalities - Chandi Prasad Bhatt (environmentalist & Chipko movement leader,

Chamoli), Gopalkrishna Gandhi (diplomat and academic, Chennai), Divyabhanusinh Chavda (wildlife

conservationist & lion expert, Jaipur), Girish Karnad (film director/actor, playwright, Bengaluru), Kiran Nagarkar

(English/Marathi writer & novelist, Mumbai) Nalni D. Jayal (environmentalist, Dehradun), Justice A.S. Anand

(jurist, Delhi) and M.K. Ranjitsinh (wildlife conservationist, Delhi).

Then in 2018, came the opportunity to archive the very valuable collection of Dr S. Radhakrishnan, the

philosopher-statesman and the second President of India. The archives team made many trips to Chennai, five

to be precise, and sifted through the precious archival material at ‘Girija’, the house built by him in 1935. The

team achieved the prodigious feat of preparing a preliminary list of the huge collection on the spot comprising

writings, speeches, correspondence and photos of his exceptional academic and public life spanning over six

decades. This is one of our most prized collections and includes a rare collection of books and journals too.

The pandemic was a setback, it stalled our work as in other domains. Yet, we added 12 more collections during

the pandemic as people found ample time to sort the papers in their homes. Having started with one small

room in 2017, the fast-growing archives occupied three big rooms on the campus by the end of 2021. Last year

in April, we moved to the new premises in AC04 where we have now a state-of-the-art Archives Repository for

storing papers and all facilities for archivists to work as well as a Reading Room for scholars to consult the

papers.

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Ashoka Reflections_May 2023
Ashoka Reflections_May 2023