GG News Bureau
Oman, 23rd Feb. A delegation from the National Archives of India (NAI), led by Shri Arun Singal, Director General of Archives, visited the National Records and Archives Authority (NRAA) of Oman on February 21-22, 2024, with the aim of exploring avenues for bilateral cooperation in the archival field.
During their visit, the NAI delegation was given comprehensive tours of various sections and divisions within the NRAA. They received exclusive presentations from the heads of different divisions, including Electronic Records and Document Management Systems, Microfilm Department, Private Record Section, Access to Record Department, Electronic Storage, and the Conservation Section. Additionally, they visited the Permanent Exhibition of Records and the Document Destruction Lab.
In bilateral discussions with Dr. Hamad Mohammed Al-Dhawyani, Chairman of NRAA, Shri Arun Singhal highlighted the historical ties between India and Oman. He informed the Chairman about the substantial collection of records related to Oman housed in the NAI and other repositories in India. As a gesture of goodwill, Shri Singhal presented a list of 70 select documents concerning Oman available in the NAI, covering the period from 1793 to 1953, along with 523 pages of copies of records on significant subjects.
Moreover, facsimile prints of three crucial treaties between the two countries were gifted to the NRAA, including treaties between the British India Government and the Sultan of Muscat, as well as treaties with the Imam of Muscat.
The meeting also saw the presence of senior officers from NRAA, who discussed the need to formalize cooperation between the institutions. A draft of an Executive Programme of Cooperation (EPC) was finalized during the discussions, which will be submitted for approval by the competent authorities of both parties.
The proposed EPC includes various activities such as organizing joint exhibitions, exchanging digital copies of documents, facilitating exchange programs for experts, and producing joint publications based on archival materials from both archives.
Furthermore, the NAI delegation interacted with representatives of the Indian diaspora in Oman, encouraging them to preserve their private archives, which serve as valuable sources of shared history between India and Oman. The NAI offered technical assistance in the conservation and digitization of these documents for posterity.
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