Project Digitizing Assam Expands with Statewide Collaborations and AI Integration

Project Digitizing Assam, the region’s largest community-driven digital archiving initiative, is entering a new phase of expansion. With over 2.9 million pages of Assamese literature already digitized, the project is forging key collaborations across Assam’s academic and cultural institutions while preparing for an AI-driven future in language preservation.

Led by the Nanda Talukdar Foundation in collaboration with the Assam Jatiya Bidyalaya Educational and Socio-economic Trust, the initiative remains committed to public access, open-source digitization, and linguistic inclusivity.

Deepening Roots Across Assam

In Jorhat, the project has formalized partnerships with Asom Sahitya Sabha and Jagannath Barooah College (University). The Assamese Department at JB College, which had independently started its digitization efforts, has now aligned with the broader initiative under a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The signing ceremony was attended by Principal Dr. Utpal Jyoti Mahanta, Vice Principal Dr. Surajit Sharma, HoD Shamim Nasreen, Librarian Dibjyoti Das, and Nanda Talukdar Foundation Secretary Mrinal Talukdar.

Additionally, rare documents from the Asom Sahitya Sabha’s central library are being digitized under the guidance of Pranjyoti Nath, a dedicated Wikipedia Foundation volunteer from Assam. The initiative was inaugurated by Asom Sahitya Sabha President Basanta Goswami.

In Guwahati, the project is working on digitizing the archives of Kamrup Anusandhan Samiti (KAS), located within the Assam State Museum campus. With roots going back to scholars like Kanaklal Barua and Surya Kumar Bhuyan, KAS remains one of Assam’s most respected heritage institutions.

Meanwhile, in Dibrugarh, the second phase of digitization will soon begin in collaboration with Dibrugarh University’s Assamese Department, which has already contributed over 60,000 pages, including 53,000 Xasipat manuscripts.

Towards an AI-Powered Future

Project Digitizing Assam is now seeking to expand its reach by partnering with institutions such as Tezpur University and the Omeo Kumar Das Institute of Social Change and Development. The focus is not only on mainstream literature but also on endangered languages and oral traditions.

Crucially, the project is transforming all scanned content into searchable text, and is preparing for the next leap: AI-integrated Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology. This will enable global access to Assam’s linguistic heritage — from research scholars to native speakers in the diaspora — ensuring that these languages remain alive, relevant, and audible even a hundred years from now.

A Call for Participation

As the Project Digitizing Assam moves forward, an open call has been issued for individuals, institutions, and cultural bodies to participate by sharing resources, volunteering, or contributing rare manuscripts for preservation. With every document and voice archived, the initiative aims to safeguard Assam’s literary and cultural heritage for future generations.