The Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) in Shimla is drafting a proposal to the Ministry of Culture for a specialized logistical and research center aimed at preserving manuscripts from Himachal Pradesh and neighboring Himalayan regions. During a two-day exhibition, IIAS director Himanshu Singh Chaturvedi highlighted the importance of these manuscripts, which are often overlooked in modern social science research that tends to rely on Western methodologies. He emphasized that these documents, created independently of state influence, provide authentic insights into India's intellectual history, showcasing concepts like democratic values that predate formal political systems.

The initiative is particularly focused on the ancient Sharada script, which flourished in Kashmir and has led to various regional offshoots. Many of these manuscripts are preserved in village households across districts such as Shimla and Sirmaur, containing vital information on astrology and ancestral rituals. The project stems from over two decades of fieldwork by scholars like Om Prakash Sharma, who have worked to learn these scripts from traditional keepers. Participants in the workshop stressed the need for these traditions to be incorporated into academic curricula and supported by digitization efforts to ensure their survival, ultimately aiming to map manuscript-rich villages and preserve the genealogies of the writers.