'Two Centuries of Indian Print' Project: Digitising rare South Asian books, Collaboration and Digital Humanities

The project ‘Two Centuries of Indian Print’ represents a groundbreaking collaboration
between the British Library and various esteemed institutions in India. Focused on digitising
rare South Asian books from 1713 to 1914, this project served as a milestone in the preservation
of cultural heritage and the advancement of digital scholarship. Supported by
the AHRC Newton-Bhabha Fund and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy, the project was designed to promote research in Digital Humanities, foster
international partnerships, and enhance standardisation in cataloguing and imaging
protocols. The project's first phase, launched in late 2015, prioritised the digitization of over
1000 Bengali books and 600 books in Assamese, Sylheti, and Urdu languages. From scholarly
articles on unique titles to using Transkribus for automated text recognition of early printed
Bengali books, this project demonstrated the opportunities and challenges involved in applying
digital research methods and tools to newly digitised library collections.
Complemented by a series of South Asian seminars, workshops hosted by the British
Library, this project provided a platform for global scholarly exchange and deepened the
understanding of South Asian heritage and print culture.