Archives of Contemporary India
Supported by HDFC LTD.
Lakshmi Chandra Jain Papers (1937-1999)
Creative writer & journalist
The papers of Lakshmi Chandra Jain have been donated by his daughter Sheena Jain. The collection contains articles by him on various subjects including Jainism, handwritten notes, plays, writings on Mahadevi Verma, and papers related to the Kharvel Project. The collection also contains material related to the book Nepathya Nayak: Lakshmi Chandra Jain, translation of poems by Octavio Paz, participation of Lakshmi Chandra Jain in Jnanpith Award Function and other events. There is correspondence with Aruna Asaf Ali and others, personal diaries, photographs, academic letters of recommendations, obituaries, and short biographies of Lakshmi Chandra Jain. Interviews with him, writings on him, and about him also form part of the collection.
Kuntha Jain Papers (1934-2000)
Author
The papers of Kuntha Jain have been donated by her daughter, Sheena Jain. The collection contains handwritten notes and poems, articles, notes and papers related to books, dramas, and ballet on ‘Mahavir’, a script for the ballet ‘Radha’, related reviews, and other material. It also contains a draft manuscript of the translation of 'Agyeya' poems in English, notes from the Oxford Debating Society, obituaries, academic letters of recommendations, a copy of the book Chandrashekhar Venkat Raman- a Pictorial Biography, Ghalib Centenary Celebration (1869-1969), and photographs including group photographs and portraits of Kuntha Jain. The papers of both Lakshmi Chandra Jain and his wife Kuntha Jain are a significant resource for students studying the cultural and literary history of modern and contemporary India.
Prema Sastri Papers (1950s-2009)
Short story writer and playwright
The papers of Prema Sastri have been donated by her daughter Sumi Sastri. The collection contains typed and handwritten manuscripts of Goddess, The Wise Minister, Alms from the King, A Generous Donation, Home Sweet Home, Forest Drum, etc. The collection also comprises copies of plays written by her, short fiction stories, articles published in Illustrated Weekly, press clippings, reviews of her book A Fine Gift from Lakshmi, original prints of The Waiting Room, Rival Candidates, Tell me Why, From the Sea, etc. The collection is a useful source material for scholars of contemporary Indian literature.
Suresh Sharma Papers (1968-2006)
Academic
The papers of Prof. Suresh Sharma have been donated by his wife Mrs. Deepa Sharma. The collection contains handwritten notes, articles, draft copies, and settlement reports (Bilaspur, Ranchi, Mirzapur, territories of the Raja of Nagpur). There are archival notes on diamond mines at Sambhalpur, district gazetteers of Balaghat district (Central Provinces), land revenue reports, Survey of India reports, HRC Memorial Committee files, Lokayan papers & bulletins, and reports on the proceedings of the forest conference (1873-74). The collection also contains field notes, transcripts of interviews, administrative reports, notes on forest biodiversity and tribal communities in Bastar between 1983 and 1986 for his book Tribal Identity and the Modern World (1994). Besides his writings and notes, the material collected from various research libraries/archives in India and abroad for his writings are a useful resource material for sociologists and anthropologists.
M. Ali Manikfan Papers (1970-2013)
Marine biologist and ecologist
The papers, donated by M. Ali Manikfan himself, are a treasure trove of research material on marine and nature conservation. The collection comprises papers and correspondence from Manikfan as Chairman of the Hijra Committee of India (Cochin) with Muslim authorities to follow the lunar Islamic calendar developed by him with scientific knowledge. In addition, the collection also contains documents related to environmental planning for Lakshadweep Island, endorsed by Manikfan as President of the Lakshadweep Environment Trust (Kavaratti) and member of the Lakshadweep Building Development Board. The papers also include articles on ship building, press clippings, extracts from books and reports, material on marine archaeology, and a personal notebook. The papers are an invaluable resource for researchers, scholars, and enthusiasts alike.
Jawid Laiq Papers (1970-2024)
Journalist
Jawid Laiq has donated a valuable collection of his papers, including books authored by him like The Western Media in Asia: Globalisation & Resistance, and The Maverick Republic as well as works by his family members. The collection contains articles published in newspapers and magazines such as Indian Express, The Telegraph, Outlook, Mail Today, Economic & Political Weekly, IQ and New Delhi. Also, there are reports related to Amnesty International.
Adil Jussawalla Papers (1969-2021)
Poet and magazine editor
Adil Jussawalla has donated a significant collection of his papers. The papers contain articles, reviews and guest editorials for magazines and newspapers such as Debonair, Deccan Herald, The Afternoon Despatch & Courier, and The Daily. There are correspondences with Sahitya Akademi on Adil’s book for Annual Award for 2014 and acceptance speech, and Tata LitLive 2021 Poet Laureate acceptance speech. There are prefaces and introductions written by Adil for First Infinities, Three Poets and other books; editorials from Parsiana; articles on Parsi and Zoroastrian matters; and columns written by him for The None O’ Clock News.
Prem Shankar Jha Papers (1973-2015)
Journalist and economist
Prem Shankar Jha has donated a valuable collection of his papers. The papers represent an invaluable resource centered on Indian socio-political and economic discourse. The collection includes press clippings, articles and book reviews from various newspapers like the Times of India (1973-1986), Economic Times (1979-1980), Hindu (1991-2003), Hindustan Times (1998-2015), Financial Express (1980-1981), and magazines such as Outlook (1998-2008) and Tehelka (2009-2014).
Jagat Mehta Papers (1950-1999)
Scholar and diplomat
The papers of Jagat Mehta (1922-2014) donated by his family covers a wide array of materials related to neighboring countries like China, Pakistan Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. There are files, correspondence, notes, diaries, pamphlets, press clippings and reports on issues such as the Sino-Indian boundary dispute and negotiations (1960-63), Indo-Pak conflict (1965), creation of Bangladesh (1971), trade talks with Nepal & Tripartite Agreement (1977-79), and Dhaka Conference, 1994. There are also papers on Second Afro-Asian Conference (1965), Indo-Soviet and Indo-US Talks (1968), Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (1968), and of his tenure as High Commissioner to Tanzania, 1970-74. Besides, there is background material related to the books authored by him and several articles on cold war, national security, diplomacy, Afghanistan, and Kashmir. The collection also contains issues (1960s) of Hsinhua News Agency Release, Link India news magazine, Asian Analyst, and Strategic Digest.
Chandrashekhar Dasgupta Papers (1965-2022)
Former diplomat and scholar
The papers of Chandrashekhar Dasgupta (1940-2023) have been donated by his wife Mrs. Devika Dasgupta. The collection contains handwritten notes, articles, addresses, press clippings on Indo-China relations, history of Panchsheel, Indo-Pak war (1965), Kashmir, South Asia and NATO. There are offprints of articles by various scholars on climate change and Rio conference. Besides his notes, there are photocopies of a lot of material collected from various research libraries/archives in India and abroad for his two highly acclaimed books, India and Bangladesh Liberation War and War and Diplomacy in Kashmir, 1947-48.
The papers of Roderick L. MacFarquhar (1930-2019) contain rare research material on 20th century Chinese history in English and Mandarin. This ranges from the history of the Chinese Communist party, its party documents, the Cultural Revolution to Mao Zedong, Lin Piao, China’s relations with other countries, etc. The collection contains pamphlets, booklets, studies, reports, correspondence and MacFarquhar’s writings including reprints of his articles published in the China Quarterly.
The papers of K.S. Bajpai (1928-2020) have been donated by his wife Mrs. Meera Bajpai. The collection comprises notes, letters, booklets, articles and press clippings on Indo-Pak talks, Tashkent Summit (1966), and Sikkim (1970s). There are papers related to his tenure as High Commissioner to Pakistan (1976-1980), Ambassador to China (1980-1982) and to the US (1984-1986). Correspondence with national and international dignitaries forms a part of the collection. There are also post retirement papers: his stint at the University of California, Berkeley as a Visiting Faculty; as an Advisor at Merrill Lynch, New York; and notes/articles on Delhi Policy Group. There is a plethora of his writings, both handwritten and published on India's foreign policy. The collection is particulary informative for the research community interested in the history of international relations, diplomacy & security studies.
Sachidanand Hiranand Vatsyayan, ‘Agyeya’ Papers (1931-1987)
Hindi writer, poet and journalist
The Archives had the privilege to receive a large collection of the private papers of the famous Hindi writer, poet and journalist, Sachidanand Hiranand Vatsyayan, ‘Agyeya’ (1911-1987) from Vatsal Nidhi. The collection contains correspondence with family and friends, contemporary writers and poets, journalists, publishers and political figures. There are diaries, notebooks, drafts, manuscripts, press clippings, pamphlets/booklets, photographs and drawings. One of the free thinkers of the Hindi literary world, his papers are most significant for the study and research of trends in modern Hindi literature in the twentieth century.
Anil Dharker Papers (1989-2002)
Writer, editor and columnist
Rani Dharker has donated a valuable collection of her brother's papers. The collection consists of Anil Dharker's columns, 'Tube Watch' in the Sunday Times of India, 1994, 1999-2002, 'Sunday Review' in the Sunday Times, 1994, 1997, and 'Out of my Mind' in Mid-Day, 1989-1990. There are also some brochures of Mumbai International Literary Festival.
