Buxar to hold 3-day workshop on ancient Kaithi script in Aug
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Announcing this on Thursday, Sitaram Upadhyay Museum curator Shiv Kumar Mishra said that the registration for the workshop will begin on July 18 at the museum. Participation is limited, and priority will be given to professionals involved in land and legal documentation — such as revenue officials, 'amin', 'kanungo', advocates and bank employees — since the Kaithi script holds significant relevance in land-related matters.
Mishra said that the ongoing land survey by the Bihar govt requires reading of historical documents written in Kaithi, a skill that is currently lacking among most stakeholders. This knowledge gap poses challenges in processing land records and obtaining loans based on such documentation.
Art and culture officer of Buxar district, Pratima Kumari, said the Kaithi script is a valuable cultural heritage of Bihar.
Evidence of the script dates back nearly 1,000 years but from the era of Sher Shah Suri, Kaithi became widely used for land and legal records. Historical figures such as Veer Kunwar Singh and the maharaja of Darbhanga also used the Kaithi script for land deeds. However, in today's context, even advocates and judicial officials often lack the necessary script literacy, complicating legal adjudication of land disputes — one of the most common issues pending in Bihar's courts.
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To preserve this valuable linguistic heritage, Mishra and his team have conducted numerous training and awareness programmes across Bihar in cities like Patna, Darbhanga, Bhagalpur, Nawada and Begusarai.
Bihar revenue department has also taken an initiative to train its employees, with two young trainers — Pritam Kumar and Waqar Ahmed — leading the govt sessions across various districts.
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