Recent Acquisitions

Suresh Kohli  Papers (1947-2016)Poet, writer, translator, editor, literary critic, filmmaker and film historianThe papers of Suresh Kohli, donated by his wife Smt. Chetana Kohli comprise archival documents and audio-visual material. The collection contains correspondence with literary figures and artists like Mulk Raj Anand, Kamala Das, Kailash Vajpeyi, K. A Abbas, Jatin Das; and unpublished material in the form of film and TV scripts, poems, essays and articles of Suresh Kohli. Various essays, articles and columns by him and other critics published in newspapers/magazines on cinema, literature and poetry also form a part of the collection. The audio-visual material is in BETACAM, VHS, VCR and DVD format, audio cassettes, b/w and colour photographs.  

Captain Lakshmi Sahgal Papers (1914-2012) Freedom fighter and social activist Ashoka Archives acquired the first instalment of the papers of Captain Lakshmi Sahgal donated by her daughter Subhashini Ali. The papers comprise valuable correspondence with her contemporaries and members of INA, papers relating to All India Women’s Democratic Association, Burma Freedom Fighters, etc. The collection also contains articles on Subhas Chandra Bose, INA, Rani of Jhansi Regiment, and Sunday Herald (INA Special issue), report of Mukherjee Commission, back issues of Seminar journal and other papers.

Manorama Jafa Collection on Children’s Literature  The collection has been donated by Manorama Jafa’s husband Shri Virendra Singh Jafa. The collection comprises technical books on art of children’s literature, touch and smell books, special work books, material on humour for children stories, and adult Hindi novels by Manorama Jafa. The papers also include her correspondence with cartoonists, and diaries on the art of children’s literature.  

Shah Commission Papers – Shah Commission appointed by the Govt. of India to inquire into the excesses committed during the Indian Emergency (1975-77) headed by Justice J.C. Shah, former Chief Justice of IndiaProf. Sunil Khilnani has donated thirty seven digital files of Shah Commission papers. These will be jointly hosted on the Ashoka Archives website and the Archive on the Legacy of Conflict in South Asia, California University, Berkeley, and Stanford University. The papers include Reports on General Elections by the Election Commission of India 1958-1978, and Records of Shah Commission to enquire into the situation in India during the Emergency. The collection also comprises papers pertaining to abuse of authority and financial irregularities, media censorship, MISA and detentions, demolition activities, Family Planning Programme, tax raids, etc. 

Kiran Nagarkar Papers (1942-2019) Marathi and English playwright, novelist and screenwriterThe second instalment of Kiran Nagarkar papers have been donated by Ms. Tulsi Vatsal comprising his correspondence, articles, interviews, short stories, book reviews, etc.