Bhubaneswar: Additional chief secretary Vishal Kumar Dev on Thursday called for greater efforts to preserve Odisha's rich knowledge heritage. Speaking at the valedictory session of a 10-day manuscriptology workshop organized by the Odia Virtual Academy, he urged participants to actively engage in collection, cataloguing, and transcription of manuscripts to ensure wider global dissemination.
Workshop Highlights
Dev expressed confidence that the trainees would play a key role in future language enrichment initiatives and help revive traditional knowledge systems. The workshop saw participation from students, researchers, teachers, and trainees across the state. In addition to classroom sessions, participants were taken on field visits to the Odisha State Museum for hands-on exposure to manuscript preservation practices.
Recognition and Lectures
Odia Virtual Academy secretary Pradeep Kumar Raut termed the workshop a success and conferred the title of 'manuscript ambassadors' on participants, signaling the academy's expectation of their continued engagement in safeguarding literary heritage. Eminent scholars, including former National Mission for Manuscripts director Prafulla Kumar Mishra and Shri Jagannath Sanskrit University vice-chancellor Prabhat Kumar Mahapatra, delivered lectures during the programme. A book on manuscriptology was also released on the occasion, while select participants shared their learning experiences at the concluding session.
