Guwahati: Photographs of Assam's cultural history will be digitalised in the archive of the state-owned Jyoti Chitraban film studio here.

Jyoti Chitraban chairman Pabitra Margherita said they will collect around 20,000 photographs of various cultural events, cinemas and musical events of Assam to be documented in its digital archive which was set up recently.

"In every corner of the state, there are families that have a collection of rare pictures with heritage value. But there is a lack of proper exposure. We are planning to display all such assets on one platform," Margherita said.

The studio will collect all the photographs and scan them. The chairman said they had a collection of 1,000 photographs. In the first phase, 20,000 photographs will be displayed along with relevant information through digital media.

"These photographs have conservation value and are important for research. These are also a matter of pride for us as they represent Assam's glorious journey in the world of modern culture. From Sadiya to Dhubri, we will carry out a massive drive to collect photographs and information related to them. The photographs will be scanned and returned to the owners," Margherita added.

The state government had directed Jyoti Chitraban to archive all monuments and data regarding the state's culture.

Both old and new photographs will be archived.

"First preference will be given to cinema, then music. Photographs of various cultural events will be given preference next," he added.

The archive, located on the Jyoti Chitraban premises, was a music archive earlier.

One of the largest government-run archives in the Northeast, it was converted to a digital archive in the past year.

At present, the archive has on display an old camera, mixing console, microphones and other technical equipment.

It is run by the film studio in association with Celebstan, a start-up founded under IIM Ahmedabad.