Ashoka Reflections_May 2023
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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
Ashoka Reflections | Page 05
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.
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