News/2012/2012.05.24

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The Endangered Archive Programme (EAP) is a project organized by the British Library whose intention is to identify endangered documents which could be of immense use to various researches in the future and not only protecting them but also documenting them digitally. This project is carried out throughout the world under the sponsorship of the British Library on the name of EAP but with different serial numbers.As per prior arrangements made with the French institute of Pondichery for the purpose of obtaining training through the EAP project we were able to send a representative from the Foundation. The arrangements for the programme was well discussed with the relevant resource people from the Institute in advance.

I who made arrangements for the travel as planned arrived at the Katunayaka International Airport at about morning 03.45 on 23.05.2012. It was my first travel abroad in my life and I travelled all alone. The Chennai Airport which was my destination was absolutely a new experience.Departing from the airport on a hire vehicle, I booked a room at a hotel in T.Nagar . After a night stay in Chennai, I departed to Pondichery taking a bus from Koyambedu and then arrived at the French Institute in Pondicheri hiring a vehicle. The travel itself in a completely unknown land was an interesting experience.

The EAP 458 team welcomed me to their office at the Institute where they all introduced themselves. My next encounter was with Dr.M.Kannan who made arrangements for my stay in the guest house where guests to the Institute used to stay. He too helped in allocating time with Rameshkumar who was responsible for the documentation related to photography. Thereafter I was handed over the chart for my training programme which was elaborated by Dr.Kanesan who was the key man behind the EAP 458 team. Thereby the first day ended with introductions.

The following 6 days, the programme began after breakfast at 9.00a.m according to the schedule which continues until a tea break at 11.00.a.m We all meet again at 12.30p.m for lunch. Again the training goes from 1.30p.m till 3.30p.m when we stop for a tea and again the next session goes from 4.00p.m to 5.30p.m. We all meet again after the day’s work at the guest house at about 6.00. Chats regarding the programme and other related matters continue until 8.00. Then we used to go out and have our dinner together.

The training programme was absolutely excellent and I was able to master the art immediately. Each and every people associated with the institute were really helpful and friendly. I was able to get acquainted with various people at the institute who were responsible for different spheres of the project including V.Krishnamoorthy sir, P.Chandran and V.Muthukumar.

My training programme was divided into individual separate sections as planned and executed under the coordination of Dr.Kanesan. The introductions to each section were provided by him. Rameshkumar took the part of photography in which he clearly explained all the arts and tips associated with the field with adequate and comprehensible reasons. The digitization process which he taught me required the Camera to be connected with the laptop and the settings made in the laptop and camera and finally captured to be documented. Mastery in this process demanded a lot of practice and so I spent ½ an hour each day on obtaining practice myself.

Next Muthukumar provided training on the topic of the Preparation for Digitization and the activities for its long lasting preservation under 3 sections. He provided elaborate explanations on the means of digitizing very old documents and the methods of preserving them for future documentation. Moreover practical explanations about the methods of preserving copper plates and palmyrah leaf documents were also provided. Finally Krishnasamy sir shared his experiences on field projects. It was really fascinating. He shared with us the knowledge and skills he said he had obtained during his field works.

Thereby the training programme which lasted for 6 days was incredibly interesting and absolutely useful. I felt it like I had completed a doctorate on the above field. It was also an unforgettable experience in my life. I am not only enthusiastic to share all my experience with someone else but also to participate in similar projects which are to be undertaken by the Noolaham Foundation in future.

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