About Us
Kannada Archive is a dream project of a group of creative Kannadigas to archive old, rare and contemporary documents concerning Kannada language, literature, theatre, movies, literary figures, etc.
Vision: Our vision is to create an open access and crowd-sourced archive of such documents that depict the legacy, richness, and historical value of Kannada literature, language, theater , movies, etc.
We aim to achieve this vision through the following approach:
Content Scope: The content of this archive exclusively comprises any old, rare and contemporary documents concerning Kannada language, literature, theatre, movies, literary figures, etc. in the form of author-signed books, autographs, photographs, letters, manuscripts, posters, pamphlets, text books, postal stamps, bibliographies, catalogues, etc.
Time Period: Rare, old, and contemporary collection that has present and future value of archiving.
Contribution: The archival documents are collected from various sources such as individuals, libraries of all kind, universities, cultural and literary institutions, literary figures, third party archives, theatre institutes, etc. As this archive is a crowd-sourced platform, we rely more on the contributions from those who share or give us any information of availability of archival documents of the above content scope.
Collaboration: There are many prestigious Kannada organizations in the domain of literature, language, theater, etc. We would wish to connect with such organizations to collect any archival documents concerning our scope of archive (see ‘Content Scope’ above). We would also wish to collaborate with similar projects or could benefit from their archive mutually. We see collaborations as a chance to get more archival documents, gain insights from others' archival experiences, utilize existing resources available with individuals/institutes, revisit our priorities of collections/items, and ensure this archive is effectively utilized by as many as possible.
Potential Areas of Kannada Archival Documents: There are many potential areas from which we can trace, identify, and collect such documents that match with the scope of our core archival collection (see ‘Content Scope’ above). Those potential areas of archiving are: archive enthusiasts, Kannada literary figures, academicians, actors, artists, scientists, Kannada organizations, theatre institutes, mutts, historians, university libraries, radio/TV stations, newspapers, editors, publishers, speakers, individuals, etc.
Usage: The archive is designed exclusively for Kannadigas. Any user or archive enthusiast can see various archival documents captured and archived in this portal. This archive is more than just a resource platform for students, researchers, archive enthusiasts, academics, etc. It aims to spark curiosity among the users and assist researchers and academics in gaining deeper insights into the archival documents. Moreover, the documents we have archived here would help users compare, contrast, and observe the pattern, content, format, trends, etc.
Creativity and Concern: Our initiative is strongly based on creativity to showcase the various kinds of archival documents of our content scope (see above). And also our concern for our Kannada land, language, and culture encourages us to make this archive more reachable, accessible, lovable, and researchable.
Awareness: Creating awareness about the archive's existence and exploring its potential applications are central goals of this initiative. We aim to ensure the archive is effectively utilized by a wide range of users, including teachers, authors, illustrators, editors, printers, publishers, historians, researchers, and the common man who loves and respects Kannada and its rich culture.
Model Archive: It would be a great honor for the entire team of this archive when our archival model is used to launch a similar project in another Indian regional language(s) by any archive enthusiasts or organizations. Then this archive becomes a model archive.