New Delhi, Oct 5 : School children will get a rare opportunity to see and read old manuscripts and the letters of great Indian leaders, some dating back to 1748, with the National Archives of India Monday opening its doors to young students.

The National Archives, the custodian of the permanent records of the Indian government, has decided to allow school children to see and read these valuable papers Oct
5-9 to mark its yearly celebrations.

Organised in collaboration with the Delhi-based NGO Delhi International Art Festival, during the celebrations the visiting children will be taken on a conducted tour around the archives centre.

The National Archives has in its custody over 40 lakh files besides manuscripts, maps, private papers of eminent Indians, oriental records in different language and scripts. These constitute an invaluable source material for the study of Indian history, according to a statement issued here Monday.

Some of the records date from 1748 to the time when India got its Independence in 1947, it said.

"With the global revolution in the field of information, the interest in records has begun to assume greater significance," it said.

"The National Archives has been trying to reach out to the public at large, through its various outreach programmes... with a view to inculcate a spirit of history and curiosity, through exhibitions, seminars and lectures," it added. (IANS)