Guwahati: Assam’s flood-soaked manuscripts and artefacts are in a race for survival as conservators fan out across Sivasagar, Nazira and Charaideo in a race against time.The Directorate of Museums, Assam, has intensified conservation efforts in the flood-hit districts and adjoining areas, assessing and stabilising manuscripts, books, masks, artworks, musical instruments and religious artefacts.At Khatpar Satra in Sivasagar, conservators assessed nearly 68 manuscripts, including the historic Maharaj Prithu Naat, written in 1891 on sanchipat — sun-dried strips of agarwood bark. The play chronicles King Prithu of ancient Kamrupa, known for defeating Bakhtiyar Khilji in 1206 when the latter attempted to cross Kamrupa during an expedition to Tibet.“More than 40 manuscripts at our 16th-century satra, established under Ahom King Pratap Singha’s patronage in Sivasagar, were dampened by floodwaters but have mostly been restored, including the play on King Prithu,” Bibhuti Mahanta, a Sattriya artist at Khatpar Satra, said.At Chalapathar Buddhist Monastery in Charaideo, nearly 150 religious and astrological manuscripts, some at least 300 years old, were submerged. Unlike the sanchipat manuscripts preserved in satras, these were written on early handmade paper with natural ink.Some pages were almost ruined, and conservation work is underway. However, a 200-year-old “golden manuscript” inscribed on a gold plate survived because it had been kept atop a wooden almirah.From Aug 8 to 12, museum professionals, conservation experts and student volunteers from Sukapha College of Fine Arts, Simaluguri, conducted emergency conservation and condition assessments at satras, monasteries, libraries, colleges, cultural institutions and private collections. The work is continuing.“Significant interventions included the assessment of nearly 68 manuscripts at Khatpar Satra, Sivasagar, including the historically important Maharaj Prithu Naat manuscript (1891); conservation of flood-affected manuscripts at Chalapathar Buddhist Monastery; and the successful stabilisation of manuscripts and books at Nazira College,” the directorate stated in a social media post on Thursday.The team also rescued a century-old Sanchipat Kirtan Puthi and religious artefacts from Lakuwa in Charaideo. At printmaker Tapan Gogoi’s Nazira residence, nearly 60 artworks were damaged. Twelve severely affected prints were taken to the Assam State Museum Conservation Laboratory in Guwahati for specialised treatment.“The exercise focused on documentation, emergency stabilisation, mechanical and solvent cleaning, controlled drying and safe repacking using conservation-grade materials, with further treatment planned for severely damaged objects,” read the post.Custodians were advised not to forcibly open wet manuscripts or use direct sunlight, heaters, hair dryers, bleaching agents or household chemicals, which can cause irreversible damage.
