As we set foot on the steps of the majestic Asiatic Society of Mumbai with its landmark white pillars, we get drawn back to the colonial era. As we enter through the impressive entrance, a giant statue of late philanthropist and educationalist Jagannath Shankar Sheth greets us. Two curved staircases on both sides of the statue lead us to the main hall where Lord Mountstuart Elphinstone’s statue overlooks the reading hall. There is no statue or portrait of any woman but for socialist writer Durga Bhagwat, whose portrait was installed just six years back.
The co-members holding office in the early years were men. Their wives were associated with the society but never took charge of any office. After Independence, many women became active members of the society and even took charge of the Vice President’s office but none got the opportunity to sit on the president’s chair. Now Vispi Balaporia has changed that forever. Breaking what is probably one of the last glass ceilings in the city, the former vice principal of Mumbai’s famed Jai Hind college and former head of English department secured 107 out of 163 votes, beating her rivals — a former Supreme Court judge Sujata Manohar, who later withdrew her nomination, and former principal of Siddharth college, Dr Surendra Dhaktode.
This win proved to be a game changer for the society, with a woman elected as its president for the first time in its 215-year history. The strict-looking professor, whose piercing eyes must have certainly intimidated students, effortlessly breaks into an endearing smile and says, “It feels great. It is a sort of achievement in itself. But that was not the intention. The intention was to continue whatever Pandurang Vaman Kane had achieved,” says Vispi. Bharat Ratna Mm. PV Kane was a notable Indologist and Sanskrit scholar who accessed the society’s resources to write his most appreciated work History of Dharmasastra.
Today, the Asiatic society has an institute named after the late scholar. “I feel fortunate that I was present at the right place at the right moment. I have been associated with the society for a long time. I was the Vice President and there came a moment where someone had to fill in the President’s position. So I said why not try my luck. And it seems that I am lucky,” she smiles.
Balaporia’s major responsibility will be to get the grant from the central government which had been promised to it by former Vice President of India, Hamid Ansari, who had visited the society in 2014. “He was so fascinated by the collections and the architecture that he decided to provide a grant of Rs 50 crore to the society.” Five crore had been granted immediately after his promise. But then the funds stopped suddenly and the rest of the amount still remains to be granted.
However, the state government receives praise from her, as it has not only initiated the digitisation process of the library’s ancient and rare documents but has also allotted Rs 5 crore to make it a success. So far five million pages have been digitised with the help of this initiative. Granth Sanjeevani, a web portal started by the society, displays all the digitised literature possessed by the society.
But the biggest challenge is to keep the depleting literature in the best possible condition. The Asiatic Society of Mumbai hosts a huge collection of ancient books, newspapers, manuscripts, coins, and relics. “We have books dating back to 15-16th century. An original manuscript of Dante’s Divine Comedy dating back to the 12th century finds its place in our safe deposits. Manuscripts written on palm leaves in Sanskrit are also on the list. These manuscripts cover topics like astronomy, science, grammar. Then there is also a Buddhist script from Nepal.
The rare coins include a 5th century gold coin of Kumaragupta, a rare gold mohur of Akbar, and coins issued by Shivaji. We also have an impressive collection of century-old newspapers and periodicals like Bombay Courier, Madras Courier, Indu Prakash, Bombay Chronicle and many more. We are proud to say that we have the Sopara relics in our possession too. In 1882, Pt. Bhagvanlal Indraji, an Honorary Fellow of the Society, excavated a Buddhist stupa at Nala Sopara near Bombay. Sopara was the initial name of the town, which is why they are called Sopara relics.
These include eight unique Buddhist bronze statues of 8th-9th century AD. Also enclosed are the relic caskets of copper, silver, stone, crystal and gold, along with numerous gold flowers and fragments of a begging bowl believed to have been originally used by Gautam Buddha,” she enlightens.
