AN AMAZING collection of Indian artifacts will be available to view online thanks to new project by Coventry University.
More than 20,000 images, prints and documents from the 20 years after India’s Partition will be digitlised through a new research scheme.
The collection, at Hamilton Studios in Mumbai, spans 100 years of Indian history and has over 600,000 objects.
Focusing over 1947 to 1967 – an important period following the Partition; a geopolitical event that ended nearly two centuries of British colonial rule and divided the Indian subcontinent into two separate nations: India and pakistan.
Funded by the Modern Endangered Archives Programme at the University of California, the project aims to bridge historical divides and demonstrate how it shapes Indian culture today.
Objects in the collection are made up of passport photographs, glass and celluloid negatives, test prints and invoices, legal documents and adverts.
Showing the intention to travel, historical photographs, economic details of the era, legal frameworks and consumer culture of the time.
The project captures a range of experiences and stories, including the lives of Maharajahs (rulers) as well as weddings, celebrations, business tycoons, marketing endeavours, family and office groups and vibrant street scenes.
Ben Kyneswood, associate professor of digital heritage and culture said: “The success of Coventry Digital has demonstrated the power of digital technology in preserving and sharing cultural narratives.
“I am eager to extend this legacy to the preservation of India’s cultural heritage, ensuring that future generations have access to these invaluable historical records.”
