Srinagar, March 25:  As part of its project aimed at preserving cultural heritage and artefacts of the state, the Jammu and Kashmir Bank now plans to digitise rare manuscripts, which are as old as 600 to 700 years, and the old Kashmiri music.

"The bank as part of its ambitious project now plans to digitise and archive very old and rare manuscripts in the Ladakh region in the state," the bank chairman Haseeb Drabu said.

The Cultural Heritage Preservation Project, according to Drabu, launched two years back as part of the bank's social responsibility, was aimed at creating awareness among the people of the state about the importance of preservation of cultural heritage.

"We thought of looking beyond commerce and act as a corporate citizen for the welfare of the people. So we started this project," Drabu said.

The bank had last year released a CD containing a collection of old Kashmiri numbers rendered by Raj Begum and Ghulam Hassan Sofi.

Drabu also said the bank had restored garden, 'Bagh-I- Waris Khan', to its pristine glory in the interior city and is trying to recreate the lost aura of 'Badamwari' (almond garden) within, which "till now is just a nostalgic reminiscence of the past", as part of the ambitious project.

The bank has also been featuring the rare paintings of Jammu and Kashmir in its calendars and greeting cards to educate the people about the cultural heritage of the border state.

The 'Thangka' art of Ladakhi and Bhasoli paintings have been featured in this year's calendars.

Drabu said an art gallery would be established to showcase the paintings and different shades of life in the state since 1880 through photographs.

He also urged the state government to include the cultural heritage of Kashmir "which cuts across all cultural, religious and ethnic barriers" in school and college curricula in the state.

The bank has also planned to organise workshops, seminars and debates to initiate "constructive" measures to preserve the heritage for the future generations.

Even as the geographical factors of the three regions of the state - Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh -- may look different, they have so much in common acquired through age- old close association among the people of the state, he said.

The common cultural heritage of the state is reflected in its literature, language, arts, crafts and music, the bank chairman said.

"So preserving cultural heritage is an important aspect, which needs attention and resources. And it cannot be ignored,” he said.