NM Certificate Courses

NM Certificate Course details

Theme:

 

‘Introductory Course in Persian Manuscripts’

 

Objectives of the course:

 

The course will be based on visual and physical reflection of the manuscripts to acquaint the participant with the subtle sections in Persian (more precisely Indo-Persian) manuscripts. 

In the first lecture, some vital information on Persian paleography and its different fonts (خط) will be passed on for further discussion. The focus will be on the scripts of Arabic and Persian, mainly Naskh and Nastaliq and also Shikasta. These will be highlighted through projecting of different works of Persian and preserved in National Museum.

Manuscripts and their different formats and subjects in the different sizes which has  large part of this course will be devoted to reading manuscripts, teaching students how to decipher various orthographies and handwritten texts. The last four sessions will be devoted to the reading and analysis of selected passages from the17- 18th century works preserved in National Museum. The seminar will thus enable the students to write the assignment paper at the end of the course.

 

 

Learning outcomes:

The course attempts to familiarize the students with the variety of the rich manuscript tradition in Persian, while also visiting some rare collection of the National Museum’s Manuscripts Department       

 

Course conducted by:

1. Prof. Chander Shekhar is a senior professor at the Department of Persian, Delhi University. He served as the former Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri Centre for Indian Culture in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Additionally, he held the position of Visiting Professor at the Annemarie Schimmel Chair, Institute of Oriental Studies, Bonn University, Germany, and acted as a Senior Consultant for the EU project on "Law Forms in Persianate World (16-19th c.)" at Exeter University, UK.His scholarly contributions include authoring and editing numerous dictionaries, annotated Persian texts, translations, and encyclopedic writings. He has published extensively in international and national journals. Professor Shekhar has been honored with several awards, including the President's Award for Persian, the Best Edited Book Award by the Iranian Government, and the British Academy Award, among others.

 

 

2. Shri Khatibur Rahman is the In-charge of Manuscripts and Deputy Curator (Manuscripts) at the Manuscripts Department of the National Museum, New Delhi. He holds custodianship over Arabic, Persian, and Urdu manuscripts and has been actively involved in various projects related to research, exhibition, and digitization since 2013. Rahman specializes in Arabic language and literature, having studied at the Department of Arabic, Jamia Millia Islamia, and the School of Languages, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

He has played a pivotal role in organizing internationally acclaimed exhibitions at the National Museum, including "The Holy Quran," "Taj Mahal meets Timbuktu: an exhibition of Manuscripts from Mali," "India-Uzbekistan: Dialogue of Cultures," and "Jewels of India: The Nizams’ Jewellery Collection," where he has served as curator and co-curator.

 

Duration of Course: 5 Days (July 20-24)

Timings: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Minimum Eligibility Criteria: 20 years and above can apply for the course. Open to all, but applicants with a background in Persian language and Paleography will be given preference.

Total number of seats: 35 only

Certificates: Certificate would be given against 100 percent attendance only.

Course fee:

Students (Pursuing)	Rs. 1000/-
National Museum Volunteers	Rs. 500/-
NGOs (students sponsored by NGOs)	Free
Others	Rs. 2000/-