A Closer Look at Digitising Axom:

• The project is a brainchild of the Nanda Talukdar Foundation (NTF) and is being supported by the Assam Jatiya Bidyalay Educational and Socio-economic Trust.
• The main aim of Digitising Axom is to safeguard the rare Assamese literature that has been published between 1813 and 1970. This initiative is spearheaded by two Assamese-based trusts.
• The project covers a wide range of books and journals, including love poems, political affairs, social commentary, children’s literature, humanitarian crises, and tips on homemaking.
• The source of these journals is the personal library of renowned Assamese littérateur Nanda Talukdar, who is one of the most celebrated editor-biographers of Assam.
• Some of the notable publications that the project aims to digitise include:
  • Cartoon - North-east India’s first monthly cartoon journal
  • Orunodoi (1846) - Assam’s first magazine
  • Jonaki (1889) - The publication that introduced romanticism in Assamese literature
  • Abahon (1929)
  • Ramdhenu
• Scholars believe that the project's merit lies in its ability to preserve and make accessible rare and valuable journals and magazines.
• These journals and magazines provide valuable insights into Assam’s society and culture. For instance, the poetry and prose in Jonaki reflect the social currents of the early 1900s.
• The Chief Minister has invited the public to contribute to this project by donating any rare books they might possess for digitisation.
• Digitising Axom is a community project, and the participation of individuals and institutions such as universities and college libraries is encouraged.
• In the first phase of the project, journals published between 1840 and 1970 have been digitised. This includes an impressive 2,45,680 pages from 161 journals spanning 3,071 editions.
• The second phase of the project, currently in progress, aims to digitise books published between 1813 and 1962.