Oct. 5: The resounding success of the book on textiles actually gave the culture hub the idea.

Egged on by the stupendous response to The Textile Tradition of Assam: Collection of Purbojyoti Sangrahalaya, Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra is all set to compile 44,000 manuscripts in various languages collected by its members over the years from different parts of the state in book form. It is also planning to bring out books on age-old masks and terracotta art forms of the state.

“The entire state is a treasure trove of various art forms, which the people of the state have been diligently practising since ages,” said Gautam Sarma, secretary of Kalakshetra. “But with the passage of time, we have lost touch with our tradition and crafts. In order to preserve them in a scientific manner, we have decided to bring out books on various art forms, which have historical importance.”

The earlier effort of Kalakshetra, a monograph compiled by Julia Barooah and Sarma, was recently released by Ambika Soni, minister for tourism and culture, at Kalakshetra. The book was published by Indian Museum, Calcutta. The entire book was based on 400 different attires, motifs and designs of the state’s vibrant textile industry preserved at Purbojyoti Sangrahalaya, the textile museum at Kalakshetra.

Sarma and Barooah of Purbojyoti Sangrahalaya together came up with the idea of the book with an aim to popularise the rich textile heritage of the state. The book has been widely appreciated by all because of its education value and colourful photographs by lensman Rituraj Konwar.

“All our forthcoming effort will be well-researched works with colourful photographs to compliment each and every subject,” said Sarma. “We have engaged members of Kalakshetra in the research process. Once the research is done, the writing process will be carried out. We are also taking help from various artisans in order to make our research process a holistic one.”