How many of us have lent books to friends, relatives and colleagues with the best of intentions and with the expectation that it would be returned in mint condition without needing to resort to casual reminders [that could often lead to awkward or uncomfortable moments] to have it back on your bookshelf? All of us have been in that position. In fact, most recently, I was reminded of three such very prized possessions that had cost a bomb including a rare collectible, which were returned as dog-eared, pock-marked versions of their original selves, courtesy Those Who We Shall Not Name. Only a bibliophile will be able to relate with the inexplicable pain of receiving these bruised titles.

A sore numbness plagues us each time the eye glances past these three titles on the bookshelf. Now, imagine what must be crossing the minds of those many nameless guardians of India’s archival treasures inside the National Museum, the National Archive and the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts [IGNCA] as they face the inevitability that these archives will need to move out of their original homes in light of the Rs 20,000 crore Central Vista Redevelopment Project in New Delhi.