Four simple – yet difficult – steps for reforming Indian archives and libraries

India has a curious relationship with its history.

On the one hand, Indians have politicised history to an extent that is probably unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Where else do events from hundreds or even thousands of years ago –both real and imagined – exert such a pull on contemporary affairs?

On the other hand, modern India has exhibited stunning neglect when it comes to preserving its past. This is particularly evident in its archives and libraries, both private and government-administered. As a historian of modern India, I have had ample opportunity to compare India’s record of historical preservation with those of other societies. What I have observed has deeply worried me.

About a decade ago, I wrote a series for the New York Times on the precarious state of Indian archives and libraries, places where priceless documents were left to rot, disintegrate, and be consumed by termites and vermin – or simply be stolen or misplaced. At the time, India’s archival landscape appeared to be on the cusp of change. Important government institutions were entrusted to capable individuals. There was a dawning realisation that methods of preservation, cataloging and storage needed an urgent, if belated, rethink.

That moment has sadly passed. True, a number of good institutions have recently sprung…

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