The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

Haribhakti Centre for Historical Research and Studies(HCHRS) Since Jan. 2015:

Haribhakti Centre for Historical Research and Studies (HCHRS) Department of History, 2nd Floor, Faculty of Arts, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda is conceived as a result of a project
“PROJECT OF DIGITALIZATION OF HARIBHAKTI COLLECTION OF MANUSCRIPTS AT DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY” financed by
Haribhakti Raneshwar Mahadev Sansthan Charitable Trust –Vadodara {Rs. 36.00 lakhs}, [approved by the University Syndicate Resolution No. 36 dated 20/12/2014 & Permission No. R/680 dt. 29th Jan., 2015. Span of Project: Feb., 2015-July 2020]

Project of Digitalization of Haribhakti Collection of Manuscripts at Department of History was initiated in December 2014 and has achieved the goal of digitalization of manuscript folios [7.24 Lakhs till July 2020] along with indexing of the leading banking house of Baroda state that contributed to the making of Gaekwad State of Baroda through Project Assistants : Krutarth Bhatt, Suraj Panchal, Chirag Vasava, Viral Pathak, Pratik Shah, Gautam Ghanchi, Nitin Vasava, who cleaned & digitized the Collections.

HCHRS has also been supported by the University through M&C Fund [A/MCF/2020-21/290 dt. 27-01-2021] between 1st Feb.-31st Dec. 2021 where centre was provided with Student Interns: Krutarth Bhatt, Neha Patil & Shashikant Sah who engaged in repairing of manuscript folios, their digitalization, cataloguing and translation of documents.

Haribhakti Collection [HBC] has manuscripts covering a period of 175 years; on finance of Peshwas of Pune, Maharajas of the Baroda State, inter-personal dynamics between Peshwas, Gaekwads, English East India Company, British Government, Mahajans in western India and their relationship with commoners [12 lakh manuscript folios].

It also has a collection of papers on Nagarseth of Bengal who remained in operation in Vadodara in 20th century; Shamal Bechar, another pedhi of Vadodara, is being digitalized under SAP-UGC DRS [2016-21] programme. In the process of doing the project, the Coordinator of the Centre, Prof. Adhya B. Saxena and Project Assistants also curated and digitized Ishwarbhai Haribhakti Personal Collection [IHC] which is with the family of Haribhaktis.
The collection is unique because it contains records of the merchants, traders and bankers within Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, who were linked with each-other and conducted multifarious business operations in towns and cities like-Ahmedabad, Baroda, Jambusar, Navsari, Bharuch, Dakor, Dabhoi, Patan, Gandevi, etc.

Documents are Hundis, Chitthis, Yadi, Kagal, Bahis, Varats, Jamabandis, Survaiyas, Nammus, Kalambandi, Jama-Kharch, agreements etc. This collection roughly covers the period between 1730 VS to 1930 VS and deals mostly on the involvement of pre-modern bazaar economy. Social work and philanthropy carried out by the family is also a subject matter along with the tradition of maintaining records.

The Bank of Baroda was laid in the premises/haveli of the HARIBHAKTI family. Around 250 books and articles from journals, magazines and newspapers in English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and Persian have also been digitized to support the academic research on these digitized manuscript folios.

The project has now created an environment where use of this untapped historical resource can be made by historians and scholars of several disciplines ranging between Social Sciences and Humanities: Economics, Statistics, Commerce and Management Studies.

Objective of the Centre:
The prime focus of the Centre will be generating scholarship in “tax-structure, finance studies, study of urban institutions, philanthropy and temple management” and dissemination of knowledge through “research, teaching and enterprise activities”.

Revival of the Modi script decipherment in Gujarati & Marathi which is on the verge of extinction is a chief activity which is in vogue since inception of the Centre.
It will also evolve as an enduring strategic initiative to promote academic and professional awareness of and scholarship on the Indian financial systems, institutions, technologies of fund collections, heritage, history, culture, conservation, planning and sustainability of these systems, technologies, procedures and practices of financial management in the Baroda State in particular and Western region in general via a series of research, teaching and enterprise activities.

Activities of the Centre since inception:
Workshops: Capacity Building in Modi script Decipherment
Seminars & Talks:
•   ICHR funded National Seminar “Finance & Banking in Princely States of Western India” 27th & 28th February, 2019
Talk
• ICHR, WRC Pune lecture by Prof. Adhya B. Saxena 22.02.2021 at 6.00 pm https://youtu.be/p5Va0kCb3jo
•   Faculty Induction Program Organized by Bhagat Phool Singh Mahila Vidyalaya, Khanpur Kalan, Sonipat, Haryana Lecture by Prof. Adhya Saxena, Day-10, 09/03/2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlocLkxwunA
   Special Lectures by economic historians, management studies scholars and art historians
   Student Interns learn the art and science of cleaning, preserving, scanning, cataloguing and deciphering the documents.    Krutarth Bhatt    & Neha Patil have submitted a research paper based on these manuscript folios
   Sudev Sheth (Research Scholar at HCHRS) blog [Ph.D. Thesis submitted abroad] https://sudevsheth.com/2014/10/07/archives-of-   merchant-financier-family-firm-haribhakti-at-baroda/
   Pattani Archives
   https://sites.google.com/pattaniarchives.co.in/pattaniarchives/research/participation/visits/visit-haribhakti-archives
   Shweta Banerjee, PhD Program, Vanier Doctoral Scholar, University of Toronto, Canada    https://www.history.utoronto.ca/people/directories/graduate-students/shweta-banerjee

Beneficiaries from the Centre:
Following Departments of The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda will be actively participating with a scholars based at:
Department of Gujarati, Marathi, Persian, Urdu, Sindhi, Linguistics, History, Economics and Sociology from Faculty of Arts
Accounts & Finance Departments from Faculty of Commerce
Faculty of Management Studies

Collaboration within India:
•    State Archives in Gujarat, Maharashtra & Rajasthan, B.J. Institute–Ahmedabad
   National Archives, IGNCA, ICSSR & ICHR-Delhi
•    Institute of Economic Growth-University of Delhi, GNLU-Gandhinagar, IIM- Ahmedabad, IIT- Gandhinagar & IISc-    Bangalore:
•    JNU, DU, AUD, and Jamia Milia Islamia-Delhi; Universities in Aligarh, Benaras, Chennai, Kolkotta, Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai,    Jodhpur and Bikaner; Vallabh-Vidyanagar, Rajkot, Bhavnagar &Patan in Gujarat.

Collaboration Abroad:
• USA: Pennsylvania, Chicago, Vanderbilt, Johns-Hopkins & Berkeley; Canada, France-CNRS, Dubai, Japan & Dar-e-Salam,
• Germany: Max Weber Centre
• UK- Leicester, UCL & SOAS