Public Talk
Granthappura: Preserving Kerala’s Cultural Heritage through Digital Archiving
(in Malayalam)
by
Mr. Shiju Alex
Date: 3rd May 2023 , Time: 3.30PM (IST), High Tea: 3.00PM (IST)
Venue: Harmony Hall, KTDC Mascot Hotel, Thiruvananthapuram (Hybrid Mode)
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
Webinar ID: 956 3294 0501
Abstract: Granthappura Digitization Project by Indic Digital Archive Foundation is an extensive digital archive that houses a collection of cultural artefacts related to Kerala.The project was initiated with the voluntary scanning and digitization work undertaken by Shiju Alex over a decade, resulting in a collection of over 2000 digitized artefacts. The collection includes some of the earliest printed documents related to Kerala, including the first-ever printed book in Malayalam, the first Malayalam book printed in India, the first Malayalam dictionary, as well as numerous early Malayalam periodicals. Additionally, the collection has several early textbooks, leaflets, film song books, and so on.
Bio Note: Shiju Alex serves as the Principal Archivist and Director of the Indic Digital Archive Foundation, the non-profit organization established with the aim of digitally preserving Indic language documents. Shiju's passion for digitization work led to the establishment of the Foundation, which hosts the Granthappura archive. Shiju Alex played an important role in initiating and participating in Gundert Legacy digitization project in association with Tübingen University, Germany. This project digitized the personal collection of Hermann Gundert consisting of palm leaflets, early Malayalam books, and other artefacts. He also worked closely with several other Kerala digitization projects by world renowned institutions like the British Library, University of Glasgow, UK, and so on. Shiju is recipient of Bhasha Prathiba Puraskaram - 2023 by Malayalam Mission, Govt. of Kerala.
Shiju resides in Bengaluru and is working as Technical Writer with an MNC. He spends his free time in digital archiving and independent research activities.