In a major cultural initiative, over 1.28 million pages of rare Assamese manuscripts, books, and journals have been successfully digitized, marking a significant step in the preservation and promotion of Assamese literature. The project, which took 36 months to complete, is set to benefit researchers, students, and the global Assamese community.

The digitized collection includes 26,000 ‘Xasipats’, manuscripts related to Vaishnavism, Buddhism, and Assamese traditions, alongside nearly all editions of Orundoi, Assam’s first magazine. Other notable works include Bahi, Abahan, and Ramdhenu, along with 33,970 books and 41,071 journal issues, all of which are freely accessible online.

This landmark project was a collaborative effort between the Nanda Talukdar Foundation (NTF) and the Assam Jatiya Bidyalay (AJB) Educational and Socio-Economic Trust, with support from Asam Sahitya Sabha, Dibrugarh University, and corporate partners like Oil India Limited, NRL, and ONGC.

Looking forward, the second phase of the project will introduce Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and AI technology, allowing advanced keyword searches to enhance the research experience, according to NTF secretary Mrinal Talukdar.