Preserving Stories Carved in Time

CONCLUSION Supported by India’s Ministry of Culture, the Ajanta images and a paper on the caves, titled ‘ Revelation of Ajanta Caves ’ by noted photographer Benoy Behl , were deposited in February 2018. The Arctic World Archive is a growing digital repository of world memory located at the remote island of Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean. Piql’s innovative approach to archiving repurposes photosensitive film to be a digital medium. Data is stored using high-density QR codes with all information needed to recover the information also stored on the film, making it self-contained and future-proof. This tried and tested technology can keep data alive for hundreds of years, without the need for migration.

” Supported by Indian Ministry of Culture, the capture of such a large and significant UNESCO heritage site is a major under taking and will take years to complete. This deposit includes a photograph of Ajanta Caves by Benoy Behl , showing a king renouncing all worldly pleasures, the paper Revelation of Ajanta Caves , support from Indian business leaders about the project, alongside initial high-resolution restored capture of the caves. “The ancient art is now getting preserved for all generations to come, for their inspiration, peep into history and pleasure. Ajanta is an example of how rich we as past humans were and how we could build on that in the future when humans will become live machines, thanks to robotiza tion. Art and culture which kept our inner facul ties to develop will be on the wane, but no one can develop technology unless human faculties work to optimum, getting creativity to fore. This art will help us all know how to develop us all as true fully grown humans.”

Suresh Prabhu, India’s Sherpa to the G-20 nations

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