Central Asian Programme 

Central Asia Programme embraces the former Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. A substantial library of primary sources in the Russian language on both Central Asia and Russia proper has been accumulated. This is the only library in India which is systematically pursuing research collections in this field. Acquisitions have been made in microform since originals are no longer available. They have been acquired on the open market as well as through special agreement with INION, the Library of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow. The programme has been especially successful on Central Asian history of the colonial period such that Delhi now is a major repository on the subject. In addition, the Ministry of External affairs has sponsored acquiring copies of archives directly from Tashkent.

Aims and objectives

• Seminars should be held at regular intervals, if possible, in different countries of Central, West and South Asia, on the theme of intercultural dialogue and relations in the historical, contemporary and futuristic perspective.
• The thematic horizon of the seminar should be expanded by involving leading architects, art experts, economists and political scientists from countries inside outside India and Central Asia.
• A journal should be brought out by the IGNCA with a group of international editors from any countries to be published in English and if possible, made available in local languages of Central Asia on the theme of relations and linkages between India and Central Asia.
• Illustrated volumes on the relations between India and different Central Asian countries may also be published with mutual cooperation.
• The IGNCA and the Central Asian countries may work together to catalogue, survey, edit, and translate and co- publish manuscripts, travelogue, historical literature, works of arts available in both Indian and Central Asian collections, which illustrate cultural interaction and cooperation through the ages.
• IGNCA together with Central Asian countries should hold a conference in each country, with local scholars for comprehensive coverage of the theme.
• The collaboration between India and Central Asian countries should be reinforced by a joint movement of scholars from IGNCA and from the respective countries for building the exhibition now created in nucleus at the IGNCA. Since April 2008, the IGNCA, in cooperation with the respective countries also surveys, documents, and collects relevant audio- visual, graphic, photographic, ethnographic, cultural and textual material from museums, arts and crafts from bazaars and art libraries.
• The electronic library being created on manuscripts on history, literature, music, visual arts and other knowledge systems at the IGNCA should collaborate with equivalent initiatives in Central Asian countries for exchange of relevant materials, for example, in Persian and Dari with Tajikistan.
• A collaborative effort should be undertaken to revitalize the so called silk route and arrest its decline for ensuring renewed cross fertilization of ideas, goods, patterns of arts and for improved cultural and economic relations.
• Indian and Central Asian countries should work together to assemble an oral and peoples’ history of relationship built on audio- visual, ethnoarchaeological and intangible memories to support the exhibition at the IGNCA, which should be reinforced for traveling though the Central Asian countries.
• Inter- Lingual relationship glossary should be prepared in collaboration to capture the nuances of relationships through the evolution of languages, place names, categories and nomenclatures through the ages.
• The IGNCA should, in cooperation with Central Asian countries, serve as a forum for joint action for regenerating the ‘Silk route’ as a world heritage route.