At the conference of Persian Manuscripts and Printed Books in the Subcontinent, Culture Minister Mohammad Husseini marked manuscripts as the identity of any nation.

IBNA: The conference was arranged by the Research Center of Written Culture at the Bagh Zina Cultural Complex in the presence of the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance and a number of Iranian, Indian and Pakistani codicologists and researchers on Wednesday, July 11, 2012.

In his keynote address, Husseini highlighted the vast common grounds between Iran and the Indian subcontinent. “There is a thousand-year-long relationship between the two lands and language is the strongest link between Iran and India,” he asserted.

“Persian language has strengthened relations between the two countries,” he added. “Persian was the official language of India for over 7 centuries which created many commonalities between Iran and India.”

As he added, throughout history Iranians have travelled to India and have gained many high-ranking posts like chancellorship. Many Indian kings endorsed Persian language and under the Mughal empire it was at its height. Moreover, many Iranian poets, literati and writers migrated to India and bolstered the influence of the language in the country.

Husseini went on to say that since 1832 when the Brits forcefully substituted Persian with their language English, the influence of Persian language has faded away; however, centuries of dominance cannot be easily canceled and the language left eternal impact on Urdu and Hindi. “Right now, there are many Persian expressions being used by Urdu and Hindi speakers.”

Elsewhere in his address, Husseini commented on the 4-volume book by Aref Noshahi entitled as the Bibliography of Persia Books in the Subcontinent (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh). The book was unveiled during the conference.

“The book is a perfect reflection of the beauty of Persian language in the subcontinent in which the names of hundreds of Persian writers, poets and books are listed. This shows the dynamism of the language [in the subcontinent].”

“Right from the beginning, Muslims were keen on books and were used to writing. They have left many books many of which are mingled with arts and it is our responsibility to revive these manuscripts and preserve them in proper conditions,” added the Culture Minister.

He further asserted that manuscripts are no museum stuff to be kept behind glasses; rather, they must be referred to and be accessed. Today, with technological advancements, they can be easily scanned and made available to researchers. “Manuscripts are the most important document for any nation and should be regarded as their culture, historical and religious identity.”

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