http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2004/january/73054.htm
By: Rupa Chapalgaonkar
January 5, 2004

Pune: The 87-year old Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI)
bears a sad look. A temple of thousands of rare manuscripts, ancient
books and palm leaf inscriptions the institute's relentless efforts
were destroyed in half hour's time, when a mob ransacked the
institute, leaving behind an irreparable loss.

The institute was ransacked by nearly 250 members of a group called
Sambhaji Brigade over a book written on Shivaji by foreign author
James Lane.

The book 'Shivaji: Hindu King in Islamic India' acknowledges one of
the Sanskrit scholars, Shrikant Bahulkar of BORI in it. The Shiv
Sainiks had blackened Bahulkar's face to express their anger over this
mention on December 22.

To protest this incident, Gajanan Mehendale, well-known scholar and
chief editor, Cultural Index of Mahabharata, BORI tore 400 unpublished
pages of his biography of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

However, the controversy seemed to have resolved when Lane apologized
for his statements on Shivaji. The book's publisher, Oxford University
Press, too, withdrew the book from the market by its publisher Oxford
University Press.

However, today's incident has aggrieved veteran scholars at the
institute who have given every bit of their life for development of
the institute. Especially, excruciating is the destruction of
manuscripts, 30,000 in all, stored in 50 cupboards in institute's
premises.
The manuscripts, which were based on varied subjects like Ayurveda,
veda, kavya, shilpa, mahabharata, bhakti, amongst various other, were
sourced from many parts of the world.

Palm leaf inscriptions, photographs, statues too have been caused an
irreparable damage. Computers storing digitalized volumes of
information lie in a smashed state.

Dr Gajanan Mehendale, 86 years of age, feels, that research will
become impossible in institutions like BORI if anti-social elements
will try to bog down researchers by use of violence.

N B Marathe, assistant editor, Cultural Index of Mahabharata, says
with mellowed eyes, "We did not give out the original manuscripts to
anyone be it person from any part of the world. Today, we do not have
words left to express our anger."

Students from countries like Germany, Japan, Switzerland, China,
France, United Kingdom visit BORI for research every year.

President of the Governing Council of the Institute Leela Arjunwadkar,
who falls short of words as she stands in front of heaps of broken
glasses all over the institute, is unable to assess the monetary loss
but feels that the cultural heritage of India has received a big
setback. "It is difficult for the institute to stand back on its
feet," she says.

According to an eye-witness, the mob came to the institute at a time
when the institute was less crowded. While some started pelting stones
and breaking glasses, some cut the telephone lines so the police could
not be contacted.

The Pune police have rounded up nearly 71 men, who came in Sumo jeeps
at 11 am in the institute. Joint Police Commissioner (crime),
Maheshgauri, said, "Those who will be arrested will be booked under
relevant sections of IPC like sections 143, 147, 148, 149, 295, 395,
120 (, and 121."

BORI was established in the year 1917 to commemorate the works of
Ramkrishna Gopal Bhandarkar. When the Bhandarkar Oriental Research
Institute was founded in 1917, the then Government of Bombay handed
over its entire collection of manuscripts (nearly 20,000 manuscripts)
to the Institute.

The Institute has also received grants from the Government of India
and the University Grants Commission for specific research projects.

The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute normally works through its
four main Departments: 1. Mahabharata and Research Unit. 2.
Manuscripts. 3. Publication and 4. Post- Teaching and Research.