Recent Acquisitions

Nandita Haksar Papers (1980s-2020)

Lawyer, human rights activist & writer

Nandita Haksar has donated the valuable collection of her papers to Ashoka Archives comprising transcripts of interviews with Naga leaders, numerous articles, press clippings, research material collected for her books, letters exchanged between her parents and notes by her mother. The papers also comprise material related to human rights cases, adivasis, migrant workers and refugees, Burmese activists, Northeast India, Kashmir and Amnesty International.

She has also donated her collection of books to Ashoka Library.

D. K. Lahiri Choudhury Papers (1950-2015)

Elephant expert, conservationist, scholar, researcher and academician

The family of Prof. D.K. Lahiri Choudhury has donated a most significant collection of his papers to Ashoka Archives for research and study. The collection includes his field notes, diaries, draft manuscripts and proofs of his books, his stunning and rare portraits of India’s wildlife especially his beloved elephants along with thousands of photographic slides, research papers, articles, maps, his literary and academic works, heritage study works, and numerous rare articles and papers related to India’s wildlife by other scholars that he meticulously collected over his entire life, and other relevant documents.  These archives form an invaluable repository for all scholars and researchers interested in studying the natural history of elephants in India, elephant ecology and problems afflicting the species in India, conservation issues in post-independent India, the built heritage of Kolkata and other conservation issues afflicting India’s wildernesses and wildlife.

Prosenjit Dasgupta Papers (1970-2020)

Wildlife naturalist scholar & writer 

Prosenjit Dasgupta has donated a very rich and valuable collection of his papers for research to Ashoka Archives. It includes dozens of his field diaries and notebooks meticulously maintained since the early 1970s, beautiful portraits of India’s wildlife, tribal life in Bastar, along with thousands of photographic slides, audios/videos and other relevant papers. These archives form an invaluable repository for all scholars and researchers interested in studying natural history of India’s forests and wildlife, the evolution of key wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and tiger reserves of the country, tribal life and folk culture of central India (especially Bastar) as well as the material heritage of Kolkata itself.

Raza Tehsin Papers (1976-2015)

Wildlife conservationist

The collection donated by Raza Tehsin himself to Ashoka Archives comprises invaluable source material related to several projects conducted by him like Chanderia Project (1988-1991), Rampura Agucha Project, Development at Moti Magri, and Fishes of Jaisamand. There is correspondence with the editors of various journals and organisations including Maharana Pratap Smarak Samiti, Burhani Foundation, People’s Trust for Endangered Species, Wildlife India (Udaipur), and State Council of Educational Research and Training. Also includes, several published and unpublished articles, reprints of research papers in journals and press clippings. Some personal notebooks and handwritten notes on faunal surveys are also in the collection. Apart from these, photographs/negatives also form a part of the collection. The papers provide an insight into the research and development of wildlife conservation in Rajasthan.

Kailash Sankhala Papers (1950-1994)

Wildlife conservationist & tiger expert

The rare collection of the papers of Kailash Sankhala has been donated by his grandson, Amit Sankhala. The collection of papers, especially his unpublished book manuscripts, draft manuscripts of published books, field notes, diaries, beautiful portraits of India’s wildlife along with thousands of photographic slides, and other relevant papers form an invaluable repository for all scholars and researchers interested in studying conservation policy and tiger conservation in post-independent India, tiger ecology, natural history of tigers, wildlife of Rajasthan, and other issues affecting nature and wildlife conservation in India.