PROJECT DESCRIPTION FORM
This application will only be relevant for documentary heritage which is either on the Memory of the World
Register or for documentary heritage which, in the opinion of the International Advisory Committee, deserve further consideration but is lacking a management plan. In the latter case, the application would be for funds to develop a management plan, and will address the issues outlined in Annex 2.
IDENTIFICATION
1. Title of Project including name of documentary heritage
Palm-leaf manuscripts - A regional programme to preserve and digitise the traditional knowledge of Asia surviving in palm-leaf manuscripts, starting with the Tamil (South Indian) corpus
2. Brief statement about the significance of documentary heritage
According to a recent survey, more than 100,000 unpublished palm-leaf manuscripts survive on various aspects of traditional Indian knowledge in
Tamil, one of India's two classical languages (the other being Sanskrit). This considerable corpus represents a significant portion of the distilled experience of the Tamil-speaking civilization transmitted from generation to generation over a period of more than 2,000 years and preserved either
Box reserved for MoW
Secretariat
Country South Asia
Date 30/06/98
Code MoW/Asia/1 through oral tradition or in the written form as palm-leaf manuscripts. These palm-leaves number in the tens of thousands in Tamil Nadu alone and may be found in repositories as far north as Jammu-Kashmir.
Palm-leaves were the preferred medium of traditional scribes employed by South Indian kings and temples for centuries uncounted. Scribes copied these texts over and over, for even when well preserved, the lifetime of palmleaves in the tropics is less than 400 years. These 100,000 titles (varying in size from as few as five leaf-pages to as many as sixty) are stored in various institutional repositories or by individual practitioners of the traditional sciences.
When the descendants of these experts fail to continue their ancestral practices, automatically the practices come to an end. Nevertheless, the surviving manuscripts remain as valuable treasures preserving the traditional knowledge of
South Indian civilization.
The existing palm-leaf manuscripts in Tamil on traditional science cover the following 12 fields:
1.
Indigenous medicine including: a.
Siddha b. Ayurveda
2. Human Anatomy ( Varmam, surgery ) c. Yunani (therapeutic systems)
3. Veterinary Science ( Vakatam )
4. Agriculture ( Kuvam, Karanul )
5. Traditional Art and Architecture a. Temple Art b. Temple architecture e. Metal works d. Carpentry
6. Traditional Musicology
7. Techniques of writing
8. Astrology & Astronomy
9. Yoga
10. Animals husbandry
11. Martial Arts c. Shipbuilding f. Sculpture

12. Physiognomy ( Samudria Laksanam )
For centuries, human memory and palm-leaf manuscripts were the preferred media for archiving traditional knowledge across most of South and Southeast Asia, including:
- Burma
- Malaysia
- Cambodia
- Nepal
-India
- Sri Lanka
- Indonesia
- Thailand
In India alone, there are substantial palm-leaf manuscript collections in these regional languages:
- Bengali - Dogri (Jammu) - Gujarati - Hindi
- Kannada
- Punjabi
- Malayalam
- Sanskrit
- Marathi
- Telugu
- Oriya
- Tamil
These collections, which represent a significant portion of the memory of humanity, deserve to be preserved.
3. Present physical state of the documentary heritage
Most of the palm-leaf manuscripts on traditional science available in palm-leaf manuscripts are already 250-300 years old. Hence, they are in a very fragile condition and immediate steps need to be taken for their conservation and preservation. The custodial organisations, which are keeping these cultural treasures, lack adequate facilities either for their conservation or for their duplication. The manuscripts are mostly in a neglected condition because of diverse factors. Occasionally large numbers are lost to fire or flood, but most are being destroyed slowly by insects and moisture.
Moreover, because the Tamil language has undergone drastic changes, most modern Tamil readers find it difficult to read and understand these manuscripts. Consequently, intensive training has to be imparted to make use of this cultural treasure-trove. Paucity of funds is the major reason for their neglect, and in the Indian context little priority is given for this type of conservation work. Consequently, these cultural and scientific treasures face severe threat at the hands of natural calamities and other deteriorating agents. If the world fails to preserve them immediately it will lose these rich treasures which are steadily disintegrating.
4.
Extent to which it is endangered
As mentioned, the maximum lifetime of palm-leaf is 350-400 years. Being organic in nature, there are susceptible to decay and disintegration over time. There are also susceptible to speedier destruction from fungus, white ants, cockroaches and other insects. Uncounted thousands of manuscripts have already been destroyed by the fury of nature such as fire, flood etc., Frequently wars and religious conflicts have been among the causes that have destroyed manuscripts. In addition to human negligence large number of manuscripts have fallen victims to superstitious convictions. For instance, there is a custom of setting ablaze palm-leaf manuscripts during the Bohi festival. Many manuscripts are thrown into rivers during times of flood in the belief that these manuscripts will appease the river deities. Most of the extant manuscripts available in the custodial organisations and with the individual practitioners are on the verge of disintegration.
Not only the palm-leaf manuscripts themselves, but also the very ability to read, translate into modern language and meaningfully interpret traditional texts is in danger of dying out altogether in the context of the rapid social changes overtaking Asia today. Vast and yet uncatalogued collections of palm-leaf manuscripts, including a high proportion of medical manuscripts, may to be lost to mankind unless decisive steps are taken to mobilise available human and technical resources and make accessible these national treasure houses of knowledge.
5. Access: Levels of access, including any restrictions:
The nucleus of this programme has already been developing for several years at the Institute of Asian Studies of
Madras and has been recognized by the Government of India and the State Government of Tamil Nadu. Therefore, since most of the manuscripts are in Government-funded libraries, there are no problems or restrictions regarding access. The private collections, too, have already been made accessible to the IAS for survey purposes with the understanding that the manuscripts may be archived freely so long as the custodians retain one copy of the microfilm.
2

Copyright status of documentary heritage:
There is no question regarding the copyright status of these manuscripts since all of them are over 50 years old. As such, they are considered to be public domain so no one may claim copyright on the original Tamil texts. However, the published index of this corpus and translations of the texts into modern Tamil and English will be copyrighted by the
Institute of Asian Studies to ensure that any royalties from their use flow back to the project. The custodial organisations expect proper acknowledgement when their manuscripts are published.
Bibliographic control, including an indication of availability in a number of different languages:
9.
The manuscripts under the immediate purview of this project are available in Tamil only. Different versions of some manuscripts may be available in Sanskrit and other Indian languages. A handful of these manuscripts may have been published in some book form already. A Descriptive Catalogue of Palm-leaf Manuscripts in ca. twenty-five volumes is now being compiled by the IAS; the first five volumes have already been published and a digital version will be released soon.
6. Executive head of Project:
Persons responsible for preparing work plan, organizing work teams, conducting technical studies, etc.,
Name: Dr. G. John Samuel
Institution:
Address :
Institute of Asian Studies
Sholinganallur Post,
Chemmancherry, Chennai
600 119, India
Telephone :
Telefax :
E-mail :
Website :
(91) 44 496 16 62, 496 08 31
(91) 44 496 09 59
ias@xlweb.com http://xlweb.com/heritage/asian/palmleaf.htm
7. Other countries associated in Project:
The Institute of Asian Studies (Madras) will execute this project. The University of Cologne (Germany) and the
University of California Berkley (USA) are also collaborating in related programmes, particularly in the compilation of a comprehensive database of Tamil literature. Such collaboration will extend to this project also. Indeed, IASresident scholars from both universities have been contributing invaluable technical assistance to this palm-leaf manuscript project already, however informally and not as full project-partners.
8. Duration of project execution: 36 Months
Project starting date: As soon as funding permits -- launch in 1998
Funding Sources:
National or Regional contributions: A= US$ 105,263 (See Table of National or Regional
contributions to project)
Funds requested from MoW B= US$ 117,932 (See Table of Contribution)
Other funds requested or obtained C= US$ 13,100 (See Table of Contribution requested or
obtained from other sources)
Total cost of Project A+B+C= US$ 236,295

1.
Project Description
For over two thousand years, scribes have recorded much of India's literary and scientific heritage on the readily available medium of strips of smoke-treated leaves of palm trees by carefully etching letters into them in a special way
(that avoids splitting the leaves) and later applying lampblack or turmeric to enhance contrast and legibility. When these palm-leaf manuscripts are undisturbed, they may last from 300 to 400 years in the tropical climate, after which a new patron would commission scribes to copy the precious manuscripts onto freshly treated palm-leaves.
Given the great intellectual vitality of the Indian mind and Indian culture's high regard for inherited knowledge, it is no surprise that a vast corpus of these palm-leaf manuscripts accumulated over the centuries. Until the appearance of the printing press rendered palm-leaf manuscript transcription obsolete, Indian rajahs, temple authorities, and technical specialists ensured that the oldest (and hence most valued in the Indian context) manuscripts were ritually disposed only after they had been copied onto new palm-leaves.
When this age-old cycle was broken in the 19 th century, the remaining corpus of palm-leaf manuscripts and the knowledge contained in them began a long slide into obscurity and destruction. With the tradition of the scribe fast dying and with no new system of recording their contents, not only have vast quantities of these manuscripts disappeared forever, but also even the very ability to read the archaic palm-leaf script now survives only among a few specially trained scholars.
A recent survey conducted by the Institute of Asian Studies indicates that there are yet about a hundred thousand palmleaf manuscripts surviving in South Indian repositories alone, with thousands more scattered across the subcontinent and overseas. But most of these palm-leaves are approaching the end of their natural lifetime and are facing imminent destruction from dampness, fungus, white ants, cockroaches and - not least of all - disposal by villagers whose actions are dictated less by reverence than by superstition.
What knowledge is contained in this scattered corpus? Our tentative survey suggests that most is minor or local works of folk literature - a treasure-trove of ethnographic and historical information in itself. But more practically, some 30-
40% of the corpus consists of technical manuals and works dealing with traditional sciences. These include, notably, tracts dealing with traditional systems of medicine like Ayurveda , Siddha and Unani which have been shown to be remarkably effective in the treatment of a wide variety of diseases. Hence, the translation and publication of such technical manuals could potentially yield benefits far outweighing the effort and expense of recovering them. Many thousands of manuscript leaves stand to be recovered - or lost forever - depending upon the action or inaction taken now.
The IAS has assembled a select team of highly qualified and dedicated specialists with experience in preserving and translating palm-leaf manuscripts. And it has already published the first five volumes of a projected 25 volume
Descriptive Catalogue of Palm-leaf Manuscripts ( see Appendix A ). But without adequate funding to introduce modern technology and train new specialists, the effort stands little chance of achieving success in preserving, documenting, translating and disseminating this vast corpus of texts before senior manuscriptologists are lost to retirement in a few more years while the body of existing manuscripts deteriorates even further. Hence there is an urgent need to bring adequate resources to bear on this important Asian component of the "Memory of the World" soon.
The four stages or aspects of this project: a) Training workshops b) On-site processing of manuscripts, including: i) preservation ii) microfilming c) Database development, including: iii) digital scanning i) editing, translation and textual analysis ii) Transcription onto ASCII computer database d) Dissemination of results (including marketing) as: i) Internet Web site 'viewing rooms' of manuscripts, including online searchable database; ii) CD-ROMs iii) Printed publications
2

a) Training programme
The Institute of Asian Studies has been conducting workshops on codicology since 1990, giving intense training to young scholars in techniques of preserving, deciphering, editing and translating the manuscripts. One element of this project shall be the intensive training of young scholars in palm-leaf conservation techniques as well as in computer applications and the operation of digital scanners and microfilm cameras. This may be organized into batches - each batch of five to ten trainees may be instructed in 24-week training periods. During the first year of the project, senior scholars of the IAS will bring out an up-to-date series of workshop training manuals in English for use by Memory of
Asia project instructors and trainees from India and elsewhere.
The first batch should consist of local trainee-candidates needed for immediate deployment in other aspects of the project, but thereafter the project will have sufficient experience and excess training capacity for it to accommodate guest trainees from other nations of Asia having manuscript collections which they wish to preserve and digitalize.
After the first batch of trainee's graduates, the Memory of Asia project will give priority to trainees from other nations in the region. Shorter one-month intensive workshops may also be held to address the needs of foreign trainees to compress the diploma course into shorter time spans. The project Website and e-mail can also be leveraged to provide continuing technical support to related projects across the region.
A major component of project workshops will be hands-on introduction to the project's Windows NT computer network and computer applications used to create and maintain project databases. The project assumes that most workshop participants will come with only minimal hands-on experience in computer operation. Since every IAS computer terminal is allocated to specific projects, there are no unused terminals available for training purposes. Hence five additional terminals are required for ongoing computer training. b) On-site processing of manuscripts
We propose to deploy three teams equipped with stable-type microfilm cameras to manuscript repositories in South
India where the manuscripts are stored so they may be microfilmed on the spot. Our target is to document at least 30 titles per day; each camera team can microfilm about ten works (averaging 40 double-sided leaves each) per day, i.e.
10x40x2=800 pages per day. This target may be achieved if we deploy minimum three documentation teams. We propose to equip each team with: (1) one stable-type microfilm camera; (2) one A-3 size flatbed digital scanner; (3) one notebook computer with internal modem and external tape drive; and (4) other accessories as needed. A fourth notebook computer system will be issued to the project co-ordinator and will also serve as backup system in case of failure of one of the other three notebooks. Using notebook computer and modem, teams in the field will be able to exchange reports and data with the headquarters.
The consensus among Indian and European experts in the field is that this project should follow a two-track strategy of documenting manuscripts in both digital (by scanning and saving as JPEG files) and analogue (i.e. microfilm) formats . Digital format offers great advantages in terms of storage, economy and flexibility. But digital formats also tend to become obsolete in a relatively short time -- today's digital formats may be virtually unreadable in twenty or thirty years if past trends give any indication. Microfilming palm-leaf manuscripts circumvents this problem; microfilm is designed to remain easily readable for centuries. Moreover, digital archives can be easily falsified later while microfilm archives cannot be falsified, so with microfilm we are assured of the integrity of the data… Any deficiency in one medium may be covered by sufficiency in the other medium. Hence, project teams will conduct analogue and digital documentation concurrently on-site at temporary project studios.
Chemical treatment of manuscripts should ideally take place along with microfilming, but it requires more time per folio than microfilming or digital scanning. Hence, microfilming teams will provide on-site support for chemical treatment programmes conducted by repository librarians who should already be graduates of project workshops conducted at project headquarters in Madras, India. c) Database development
Digitization is the key to achieving the project objective of making threatened collections of knowledge secure and yet easily accessible by any number of people anywhere in the world. The process is currently being developed by an international team of Tamil lexicographers from the University of Cologne (Germany) and the University of California
3

Berkeley (USA) with headquarters at the IAS (India) as part of a collaborative effort to compile an Online Tamil
Lexicon (OTL). The very same digital standards can be applied by IAS lexicographers who digitalize palm-leaf manuscripts by entering them into an ASCII-character based database. Once these texts have been digitized onto a master database, they may be disseminated as an online database or as CD-ROMs or as printed books.
However, conventional-fashioned scholarship is still indispensable. Most old palm-leaf manuscripts are preserved in archaic Tamil including script that only trained specialists can decipher and translate. Based on expert evaluation of their contents, manuscripts will be prioritised for digitization, later. Every Tamil trainee will need to receive a detailed introduction to the peculiarities of palm-leaf script and language before they can begin to key manuscripts onto the project database in ASCII characters. With senior manuscriptologists close at hand to answer their questions, trainees will become proficient at data entry and database management. d) Dissemination-cum-marketing of results
Preservation of documentary heritage is the first objective of this project; the other is to make this intellectual heritage accessible to as many people as possible using available technology. Because of their suitability to be digitized and stored as an integrated database, palm-leaf manuscripts lend themselves very easily and affordably to advances in information technology. Once a sizeable portion of the corpus is transferred to a database, it begins to accumulate value. Once it is complete, its full value is easily realized.
Already five volumes of a projected 25-volume Descriptive Catalogue of Palm-leaf Manuscripts have been brought out in print. A specimen database has been extracted and a digital standard is now (March'98) being finalized for transcription of Tamil characters into a computer-readable ASCII-character database (see Appendix II : Database
Format). This paves the way for creation of a seamless database that may be disseminated as CD-ROMs or online over networks especially the Internet. Using simple Web browser applications, the user may easily access the project Web site, find and extract needed data from the master database or view any individual folio as JPEG-type graphic files.
This solution answers the need for increased access by greater numbers of people while at the same time protecting the originals from excessive handling. Indeed, a project Web site has already been established and has been acclaimed on
Tamil. Net the principal online forum for Tamil language computer users. The IAS is even now exploring partnership possibilities to facilitate marketing and distribution of the results of its ongoing programme in palm-leaf codicology.
2.
Project Description
Today there is a growing global trend to appreciate indigenous or traditional knowledge, particularly in the field of medical science. Most Indian palm-leaf manuscripts on traditional science pertain to medicine such as the Siddha and
Ayurvedic systems of treatment along with the Unani system popular in the Muslim world. Modern research has demonstrated that these traditional systems give lasting relief to many chronic diseases. These systems eschew surgery and yet the curing effect is remarkable, even for very serious diseases that may not respond well to allopatic treatment.
Moreover, native medicines are based either on herbs or metals that are not injurious to health when used according to traditional prescription. Nowadays with the help of palm-leaf manuscripts attempts are being made in India to treat lifethreatening diseases like AIDS, heart disease and diabetes.
The publication of these rare manuscripts will undoubtedly be a welcome contribution to medical research in India and abroad. In India alone there are a great many medical and technical colleges that will be eager to acquire the published results of this project, both in printed and digital formats. As such, this information will find a ready market not only among medical colleges and libraries, but also among pharmaceutical companies eager to utilize the accumulated knowledge and experience of ancient cultures such as that of India to develop new medicines.
While it would be purely speculative at this stage to attempt to quantify project results in terms of medical or scientific advances, yet is it safe to ensure that some such advances may be expected from this project. It will be our responsibility not only to disseminate this knowledge but also to ensure that the benefits flow in both directions; i.e. our project costs should eventually be covered by sales and royalties from pharmaceutical firms. As noted above, the final published versions (printed and digital) of the archaic texts into modern Tamil and English will be copyrighted by the
Institute of Asian Studies to ensure that any royalties from their use flow back to the project. We anticipate that the products of this project may be summarized as follows:

A series of innovative technical manuals (in English) on codicology for use by workshop participants;
4


Training of 10 to 20 participants annually in the project's 24-week codicology diploma programme;

Mentor-type programmes to promote the preservation of the Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam corpuses;

Regional training programmes designed to attract participants from Sri Lanka, Burma and Thailand;

A complete 25-volume Descriptive Catalogue of Palm-leaf Manuscripts in printed and CD-ROM version;

Development of a project Website offering manuscript viewing rooms and database search functions;

Creation of an e-mail based technical Help Desk to identify and assist related projects in the Asia region;

Printed/digital publication of 8 or 9 major manuscript translations in the first year to increase in each year.
There are also a considerable number of palm-leaf manuscripts on technical subjects such as agriculture, architecture including temple art, metalworking, sculpture, carpentry, animal husbandry, etc., which may be very useful in their respective fields. Tamils have attained great heights in temple art and architecture in accordance with traditional manuals such as these. There are many palm-leaf manuscripts on fine arts like dance, drama, traditional music, and the art of making musical instruments, etc. Many manuscripts based on yoga are also worth applying to the therapeutic treatment of psychic and physical disorders.
Since there is growing demand in the international market for texts dealing with traditional science, the current difficulty in accessing this knowledge may be regarded as a marketing advantage since we have exclusive access and will copyright the results. Our objective is to make this treasure store of knowledge easily accessible but not freely accessible for commercial purposes until our costs are recovered. To achieve this and other aims, the IAS has already launched its own Web site ( http://xlweb.com/heritage/index.htm
) as well as related multimedia activities. As the Web site grows its popularity can be leveraged to market the project's products such as CD-ROMs.
Naturally, it will be in the project's own interest to recoup its expenses by marketing its products in whatever formats, especially via Internet and word of mouth.
Preservation and documentation together represent only one of the project's two major objectives; the other objective is to make this potential treasure-trove of knowledge accessible to the world in ways that are democratic and fair as well as easy and economical. We recognize that digital technology will continue to play an increasing role in the world economy and particularly in information-based fields like Asian studies. However, digitally connected schools, corporations and individuals still constitute only a portion of the market for the particular types of manuscripts we are working with. A considerable market exists for these works in the form of printed books, especially in India and throughout the developing world, and we intend to address this market also. For this, the IAS is well experienced and well known as a source of new publications on aspects of the heritage of Asia.
Nevertheless, our marketing strategy will be oriented to take advantage of new opportunities as they arise also. Even now, we have begun to market our publications via our World Wide Web site, eventually with electronic transactions using credit cards. At present we market only books, but in the future project results will also be marketed as CD-
ROMs which may contain an entire encyclopaedia in one inexpensive CD. In a few years it should be technically and commercially viable to charge Internet computer users who wish to extract data from our online database on a per-use basis. As mentioned above, we intend to copyright project results to ensure that royalties from pharmaceutical companies, etc. flow back into the project in the long-term.
5

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS : HUMAN RESOURCES AND EQUIPMENT
3. Human resources requested from MoW
As mentioned above, the IAS is already collaborating with Tamil scholars at the University of Cologne (Germany) and the University of California Berkeley (USA) on closely related projects through e-mail and on-site visits, as well as through Tamil. Net, a network dedicated to the digitalization of Tamil language and literature.
Project leadership
The entire work is to be monitored by a team of highly qualified experts who are proficient in identifying the manuscripts to be microfilmed, who are familiar with chemical treatment, and who are capable of deciphering and editing to prepare them for digitization. The minimum qualification shall be PhD. with five years experience in codicology. Dr. P. Subramaniam and Dr. Harinarayanan of the IAS are the two experts whose we consider services to be indispensable, particularly as teachers. They are both Indians and the cost of their salaries shall be met by the
Institute.
However, because of the role of computer applications in the project, the overall project co-ordinator will need to come into the project with considerable relevant experience in the latest standards of information technology as well as the organisational ability to mobilise the entire project and devise solutions to problems as they arise. This level of familiarity with information technology is simply not found here in India among palm-leaf manuscriptologists. We know of only one Tamil scholar having the requisite technical qualifications who could co-ordinate the project. This scholar now employed at the Institute of Indology & Tamil Studies of the University of Cologne (Germany) could coordinate all levels of the project and she is also quite willing to do so. But our Institute is simply unable to offer a reasonably attractive salary.
Hence we request matching funds in order that we may attract the most qualified candidate for the sensitive position of technical co-ordinator for the project. That is, we request that the Memory of the World programme match the local salary of US$ 250 per month that the IAS pays for local Ph.D.s in this field. Then the IAS could offer a modest but reasonable incentive for the best-qualified candidate in the world to co-ordinate all technical aspects of the project for the duration of the critical three-year launch phase of this regional programme. The project is important enough in scope and scale to warrant the recruitment of the most qualified and capable candidate available. The cost to Memory of the World would be US$ 250 X 12 X 3 = US$ 9,000 (nine thousand only) total for three years, which is less than three months' salary in Germany for such specialists in their field. No amount of hardware or software can take the place of the specialist appointed to execute the entirety of such a project.
4. Equipment requested
Please list any equipment and supplies needed for preservation and conservation on the one hand, and computer equipment, including scanner, software packages, etc. needed to enhance access. Provide pro-forma invoices whenever possible.
(Conversion rate: US$ 1 = Japanese Yen 130 = Indian Rs 38)
A.
MICROFILMING EQUIPMENT :
(prices are inclusive of freight, insurance and local tax)
1.Hirakawa HK 35 microfilm camera with A-3 size stand
2.Microfilm processor Maple 3000 with one load
box unit for 35mm (1)
3. Minolta RP607Z reader-printer with accessories two one
Rs 426,000
Rs 369,000
One Rs 626,400
US$ 11,210
US$ 9,710
US$ 16,484
6

4.Microfilm duplicator: Real RB-70
5. Minolta MS 3000 microfilm scanner (A-3 size)
Microfilming equipment subtotal
B. COMPUTER
Hardware:
1.
Multimedia work station (one)
Power Macintosh G3: 233 MHz, 32 MB RAM,
4 GB hard drive, 24x CD-ROM, colour monitor etc
2. Network server (one):
Pentium IASNET 233 MHz with 512 kb cache,
64 Mb RAM, 12 GB HDD (2 x 6gb),
SVGA colour monitor, 32-bit Ethercard
3.
Workstations (5+5=10nos.):
Pentium 166 MMX with 256 kb cache, 32 Mb
RAM, 4 GB HDD, colour monitor, 32-bit Ethernet card
4.
Notebook computers (3 field teams + 1 for coordinator)
Compaq Armada 1530 with internal 33.6 KBPS modem, 133 MMX, 16 Mb RAM, 2.1 GB HDD, colour monitor, etc
5. External Jazz tape drive data storage units for notebooks
6. HP 1000 CXI A-3 size desktop colour scanner
7. HP Surestore CD-ROM writer (external)
8. Iomega Jazz backup system (1GB)
9. Hp LaserJet 6L (600 dpi laser printer)
10. 33.6 KBPS US Robotics modem (external)
11. LAN accessory: Compex 16-port hub
12. CAT 5 cable
13. 4 kva uninterrupted power supply (UPS) with ten batteries
14. Backup electrical generator for project headquarters 62.5 KVA diesel generator
Rs 293,100 x 50% (project share; balance by IAS)
Hardware sub-total
Software:
1. Internet access: project Web site hosting and maintenance by local Internet service provider @
Rs25,000/year
2. Windows NT server v 4.0 (upgrade to 20-user version)
3. Adobe PhotoShop 4.0 for Macintosh
4. Adobe PageMaker 6.5 for Macintosh
5. Macintosh Operating System 8.01
6. Kedit for Windows version 1.5
Software sub-total
Computer hardware - software sub-total
TOTAL equipment requested
One Rs 403,000 US$ 10,605
One Rs 585,000
One Rs 157,500
US$ 15,395
US$ 63,404
US$ 4,145
One Rs 86,000 US$ 2,263
Ten Rs 415,500 US$ 10,934
Four Rs 426,000 US$ 11,210
Four Rs 98,000
Four Rs 92,000
One Rs 35,000
One Rs 17,500
One Rs 22,000
One Rs 13,500
One Rs 5,500
One Rs 4,800
One Rs 94,000
One Rs 146,550
US$ 2,579
US$ 2,420
US$ 921
US$ 461
US$ 579
US$ 355
US$ 145
US$ 126
US$ 2,474
US$ 3,857
Rs 1,613,850 US$ 42,469
Rs 75,000 US$ 1,974
Rs 85,000 US$ 2,237
Rs 12,100 US$ 318
Rs 12,650 US$ 333
Rs 3,000 US$ 79
Rs 3,500 US$ 92
Rs 1,877,750 US$ 5,033
US$ 47,502
US$ 110,906
7

WORK PLAN
The initial launch-phase of the Palm-leaf Manuscripts Preservation Project will last 36 months and will consist of three one-year stages. At the outset, the project will focus upon training and familiarization with new digital technology.
However, harvesting of data and distribution of results will commence from the first year and accelerate while training programmes will continue (with more room for trainees from neighbouring countries). In quantitative terms, the target figures will be as follows:
Phase of Project
Period
Training courses (24-week course)
One-month intensive workshops
Manuscripts treated per annum
Stage One
First year
Two
One
5,000
5,000
Stage Two
Second year
Two
Two
7,500
7,500
Stage Three
Third year
Two
Two
10,000
10,000 Manuscripts targeted for microfilming & scanning
Training
The early stage of the project will emphasize training and technical familiarization. Senior faculty will direct more of their time to training younger assistants recruited into the project and visiting participants. Two 24-week training workshops will be conducted annually. Each workshop will introduce trainees to such areas as:

Reading archaic palm-leaf script and transcription into modern Tamil;

Translating archaic technical manuscripts into modern Tamil and English;

Preservation techniques: fumigation chamber and chemical treatment;

Microfilming procedure and transport;

Digital scanning and data entry

Database management.
Fieldwork: manuscript treatment, microfilming and scanning
As the training workshop phase of the project continues, more and more trained personnel will become available for fieldwork. From the middle of the first year of the project, newly trained project members can be deployed in teams for the on-site task of treating and microfilming manuscripts under experienced supervision. Enough technicians will enter the programme that microfilm cameras may remain in continual use by staff rotating between fieldwork and headquarters-based training and transcription, etc activities. Team leaders will be expected to submit weekly reports (as a detailed form sent by e-mail) indicating the number of manuscript leaves treated and scanned/microfilmed and any technical issues encountered. These report-forms will be entered in a database to track project progress including sites covered and the number and types of manuscripts processed. Each original title will be tagged and linked to the database to facilitate locating originals at later dates. Each temporary field studio will also serve as start-up support for local programmes to preserve palm-leaf manuscripts through chemical treatment use of fumigation chambers.
Transcription and translation
All project staff will be trained to read and transcribe archaic manuscripts into modern Tamil script, but only qualified academics will engage in final translation into modern Tamil vernacular, let alone into English. Because of the vast scope of the project in terms of numbers of manuscripts, the entire corpus of manuscripts will take many more years to translate and publish than the three years assigned to the initial launch stage covered in this proposal. Priority will be given to preservation and recording, while the less-urgent and more time-consuming tasks to manual transcription will take many years to complete and publish in digital and printed versions. As the project progresses, greater experience and improved techniques may result in enhanced productivity in many aspects of the programme. This is reflected above in the accelerated output in terms of manuscripts preserved and microfilmed during the three years of the project.
8

Publication, marketing and distribution
These are fields where the IAS can apply its considerable experience and expertise. As stated above, a two-pronged approach will be taken by making project results available both in digital and printed formats. The IAS already has conventional distribution channels for its printed publications and the Internet is now being developed as the major channel for release of project results digitally together with the release of CD-ROMs. Naturally, the task of transcription, translation, publication and distribution will extend beyond the three-year scope of this project whose primary aim is to preserve and record the original manuscripts.
Project Evaluation
As mentioned above, periodicaly evaluations will be undertaken to ensure that the project remains on schedule, on budget and on target. Each 24-week training semester will conclude with an evaluation and each team in the field will be required to submit weekly progress reports for entry on a database so that progress may be tracked from week to week. Personnel based out of project headquarters may thus be monitored more closely and easily for the volume and quality of their work. The executive head of the project Dr. G. John Samuel will delegate evaluation responsibilities to senior faculty who will report to him.
At the end of each twelve-month phase of the project, the project co-ordinator will prepare a comprehensive evaluation detailing the number of staff trained and employed, the number of titles and palm-leaves preserved and microfilmed, growth of the database, and the progress achieved in releasing new titles in Tamil and English as books and as CD-
ROMs. His figures will be attested by the accountant of the IAS and other IAS academicians and administrators outside the project will review the project and certify the annual report before the executive head of the project approves it and forwards it to UNESCO's Memory of the World programme. A the end of the 36-month project period, the executive head of the project will invite foreign scholars collaborating with the IAS to conduct an overall appraisal of the project which will be compared to the project co-ordinator's own comprehensive evaluation of the project's achievements and shortcomings.
NATIONAL OR REGIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS
TOTAL (US$) NATIONAL REGIONAL
CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVED 26,316 * Nil
CONTRIBUTIONS REQUESTED 78,947 Nil
TOTAL A = 105,263 Nil
* Rupees 1,000,000 approved by the Tamil Nadu State Government in March 1998 for construction of a centre to house the IAS programme in palm-leaf codicology.
9

CONTRIBUTIONS REQUESTED FROM THE MEMORY
OF THE WORLD PROGRAMME
BREAKDOWN OF
CONTRIBUTIONS REQUESTED
1.EQUIPMENT
Preservation and conservation
Hardware a) microfilm hardware b) computer hardware c) uninterrupted power supply
Hardware sub-total
Software
Other
63,404
36,138
6,331
105,873
TOTAL
(US$)
Nil
105,873
3,059
Nil
108,932
REMARKS
Locally available
Two cameras, processor etc
Computers & accessories
See Appendix C
TOTAL
2.HUMAN RESOURCES
International expertise
TOTAL
3.TRAINING
Costs of participation in further training
(Seminars, courses workshops)
TOTAL
4.OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
(Please state nature)
TOTAL
TOTAL B=
9,000
9,000
Nil
Nil
Nil
117,932
CONTRIBUTION REQUESTED OR OBTAINED
FROM OTHER RESOURCES
BREAKDOWN OF CONTRIBUTIONS
REQUESTED
1.EQUIPMENT
Preservation and conservation
Hardware
Software
TOTAL
2.HUMAN RESOURCES
International expertise (Consultants)
TOTAL
TOTAL
(US$)
5,600
5,600
2,500
2,500
REMARKS
Microfilm cameras
Project evaluation
10

3.TRAINING
Costs of participation in further training
(Seminars, courses workshops)
TOTAL
4.OTHER CONTRIBUTIONS
(Please state the nature)
TOTAL C=
* * *
5,000
5,000
Nil
13,100
11