Bengaluru Non-Profit Digitises 1.75 Lakh Rare Books

Preserving History Through Digital Archives

Book lovers and researchers across Tamil Nadu often seek out rare historical documents and vintage texts. Recently, as Deccan Herald reported, a remarkable initiative in Bengaluru has successfully brought thousands of hard-to-find literary works into the digital realm. A dedicated non-profit organisation has made significant strides in preserving cultural and historical heritage for future generations.

Mahatma Gandhi famously championed physical labour as a means to bridge social divides. Inspired by this philosophy, a group of volunteers in Bengaluru has modernised the concept of service. Instead of manual farming or spinning, their mission focuses on scanning and archiving physical volumes to free them from bureaucratic hurdles, subscription paywalls, and restrictive copyright barriers.

The Journey of Servants of Knowledge

Founded back in 2018, the initiative known as Servants of Knowledge (SoK) was established through the collaborative efforts of American technologist Carl Malamud and Bengaluru-based digital archivist Omshivaprakash H L. Over the years, their tireless volunteer efforts have successfully hosted an impressive 1.75 lakh books and manuscripts on the Internet Archive, ensuring that readers worldwide can access them completely free of charge.

This massive digital collection features an extensive array of important historical materials. Marking Gandhi Jayanti, Deccan Herald's Metrolife highlighted the group's work to make Gandhi studies and research publicly available in the digital era. The specialised JaiGyan collection on the Internet Archive houses over 20,000 search results tied directly to Mahatma Gandhi.

Unlocking Rare Gandhian Literature

Among the preserved materials are a Hind Swaraj section, digitised from Carl Malamud's personal archives, and 1,399 works from Gandhi Bhavan in Bengaluru. This cache includes early editions of Indian Opinion, the influential weekly newspaper published during Gandhi's time in South Africa, as well as copies of his autobiography, My Experiments with Truth.

The partnership with Gandhi Bhavan began four years ago. For two and a half years, a dedicated fifteen-member team utilised high-resolution scanners on-site, processing an astonishing 15 lakh pages every single month. Their comprehensive efforts covered more than 11,000 individual works, encompassing both general titles and specific Gandhian literature.

Furthermore, this partnership allowed SoK to connect with additional Gandhian institutions located in Hyderabad and Madurai. Through these collaborations, the team successfully archived important Telugu- and Tamil-language works related to Gandhi. Additionally, the non-profit digitised thousands of research theses from Kannada University in Hampi, highlighting the enduring presence of Gandhian thought within academic research and public consciousness.

Here at BooksGrub, we deeply value the written word and the incredible efforts dedicated to keeping historical literature alive. Initiatives like these ensure that readers, students, and researchers can continue exploring our shared literary roots with ease.