By Pervez Bari, TwoCircles.net,
Bhopal: “We must not celebrate August 15, 1947 as Independence Day, when India gained freedom from the British rule, but should observe it as ‘Shok Diwas’ (Day of Mourning).
The Britons before leaving India extracted their biggest revenge by dismembering the Indian Sub-continent into three fragments viz. India, West Pakistan and East Pakistan which later on went to become Bangladesh. The divide and rule policy was adopted by the Britons after the 1857 mutiny when Muslims and Hindus joined hands together to overthrow the foreign yolk but failed. In India both Hindus and Muslims had lived in peaceful co-existence since a very long time but Britons with their same divisive tendencies before being forced out of the country created such an environment that Muslims through Muhammad Ali Jinnah demanded a separate homeland and India was trifurcated”.
Prof. Chander Prakash Jha, a noted historian, (seated 2nd from right) on the dais of the inaugural function of the 113th Orientation Course in Records Management for Departmental Records Officers which began at the National Archives of India, Regional Office in Bhopal on Monday.
The above observations were made by Prof. Chander Prakash Jha of Rajasthan, a noted historian, who was the guest of honour, at the inaugural function of the five-day 113th Orientation Course in Records Management for Departmental Records Officers which began at the National Archives of India, Regional Office here on Monday.
Prof. Jha asserted that the Kashmir and Tibet tangles are such in nature which would never be solved and neither there would ever be re-unification of India and Pakistan in future as visualised in some quarters.
Earlier, Dr. M. A. Haque, Deputy Director in the National Archives of India, Headquarter New Delhi, who was the chief guest, while inaugurating the Orientation Course threw light on the history of record keeping and its management. He said that records are integral part of any organization. They are the wheels of administration. Records management establishes standards of good management in respect of creation, control, preservation and disposition of records. The records management play a vital role for the government of the day which is accountable to its people, he added.
Dr. Haque said that the National Achieves of India, Regional Office, Bhopal came into existence on the basis of an agreement signed on 21 October 1953 between the Bhopal Government and the Government of India. All the records housed in the Central Records Office of the erstwhile Bhopal State which contain Mutiny Papers files relating to the Chamber of Princes and other subjects covering the years 1843 to 1949. These records are mainly couched in Persian and English.
He said that the National Achieves of India, Regional Office, Bhopal came into existence on the basis of an agreement signed on 21 October 1953 between the Bhopal Government and the Government of India. All the records housed in the Central Records Office of the erstwhile Bhopal State which contain Mutiny Papers files relating to the Chamber of Princes and other subjects covering the years 1843 to 1949. These records are mainly couched in Persian and English.
National Archives of India, New Delhi transferred 2008 bundles containing 2,51,000 files approx., as spare copies of Government of India records of various Ministries/ Departments of the Central Government for the years 1860-1938 for their safety and also to help facilitate the scholars of the adjoining states. Furthermore, the National Archives of India has also transferred 13,732 volumes of Gazettes of various states (inclusive years 1841-1971) for their permanent preservation, he informed.
Dr. Haque said that apart from the above this office has also accessioned way back in 1984, a collection of private papers (inclusive years 1928-19781) received from Pandit Chatur Narayan Malaviya, ex-prime Minister of the erstwhile Bhopal State. Among these private papers three volumes on the ‘Monuments of Sanchi’ of Sir John Marshall are also found.
Recently this Department has also started accommodating Microfilm Rolls of intrinsic historical value to be preserved as a second line of defense of records to serve as parallel archives for posterity. The Regional Office has also acquired a collection of books numbering about 3000 of historical and archival importance which are properly kept in our reference library to cater to the needs of scholars, officials and visitors, he added.
This Correspondent, who was also guest of honour, while speaking on the occasion emphasized that proper care should be taken to ensure that even oral orders given by senior officers are brought into writing for the benefit of coming generations.
Meanwhile, about two dozen Record Officers of Union and State Governments drawn from all over the state are participating in the Orientation Course.
At the outset Mrs. Pranjana Sinha, Asstt. Director of Archives, National Archives of India, Regional Office Bhopal, welcomed the guests and delegates. Dr. Devendra Kumar Sharma from NAI Headquarters in New Delhi is the Course Co-ordinator of the Orientation Course. He conducted the proceedings with aplomb. In the end Archivist Muzaffar-e-Islam proposed a vote of thanks.