Guwahati: Museum experts are scrambling to save Upper Assam’s history from the rot of recent floods. Teams from the Directorate of Museums visited Sivasagar, Nazira, and Charaideo from August 8 to 12. They combed through monasteries, libraries, and private collections to halt the decay of water-logged relics. Time is working against them. Damp conditions trigger rapid fungal growth and ink bleeding that can destroy paper-based heritage in days.
The team found disaster at the Chalapathar Buddhist Monastery, where paper manuscripts sat soaked in mud. They performed mechanical cleaning and repacked items using conservation-grade materials. At Khatpar Satra, 68 manuscripts were surveyed, including a prized 1891 Maharaj Prithu Naat document. Nazira College staff recovered stabilized books after the museum team used controlled air-drying to pull out deep-seated moisture.
Conservationists moved twelve severely damaged prints from the private collection of artist Tapan Gogoi to the Guwahati laboratory for complex repairs. They also secured a 100-year-old Sanchipaat Kirtan Puthi from the home of Nitumoni Dutta in Lakuwa. The specialists offered a direct warning against amateur fix-it jobs. They stated, "Wet manuscripts should not be forcibly opened, while direct sunlight, heaters, hair dryers, bleaching agents and household chemicals should be avoided because they can cause irreversible damage."
Sujata Suchibrata, the Director-in-Charge, led the effort alongside a team of district officers, chemists, and volunteers. They now urge custodians to stop tossing out damaged goods. Even broken materials hold value. They recommend that institutions switch to elevated storage and prioritize digitizing rare collections to avoid future losses. The survey work continues as more hidden damage comes to light across the state.
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