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24-608: The Asiatic Society of Mumbai (formerly Asiatic Society of Bombay ) is a learned society in the field of Asian studies based in Mumbai , India . It can trace its origin to the Literary Society of Bombay which first met in Mumbai on 26 November 1804, and was founded by Sir James Mackintosh . It was formed with the intention of "promoting useful knowledge, particularly such as is now immediately connected with India". After

48-527: A gold coin of Kumaragupta I , a rare gold mohur of Akbar and coins issued by Shivaji maharaj . Its map collection comprises 1300 maps. The collection of the Society include: The manuscript of the Divine Comedy , a poem composed by Dante Alighieri in the 14th century, was written in the second half of the 15th century. It is a beautiful codex on parchment and richly illustrated. It was given to

72-471: A member of the Society who has written a book adjudged as the best in the given 3-year period. The Asiatic Society of Mumbai Town Hall or just Town Hall (colloquially Called "Tondal" in the 19th century) that houses the Asiatic Society of Mumbai was not built in 1804, the year in which the Literary Society of Bombay was formed. Though Sir James Mackintosh mooted the proposal for a grand edifice, it

96-496: A particular subject or discipline, provided they pay their membership fees. Older and more academic/professional societies may offer associateships and/or fellowships to fellows who are appropriately qualified by honoris causa , or by submission of a portfolio of work or an original thesis. A benefit of membership may be discounts on the subscription rates for the publications of the society. Many of these societies award post-nominal letters to their memberships. The membership at

120-627: Is a neoclassical building located in the Fort locality of South Mumbai . It houses The Asiatic Society of Mumbai , State Central Library and a museum, the head office of the Directorate of Libraries Maharashtra State, Maharashtra State Women's Council, the Additional Controller of Stamps Office and a post office. In 1811, the plan for construction began. Initially, the construction of the town hall (colloquially Called "Tondal" in

144-804: The American Association for the Advancement of Science , specific to a given discipline, such as the Modern Language Association , or specific to a given area of study, such as the Royal Entomological Society . Most are either specific to a particular country (e.g. the Entomological Society of Israel ), though they generally include some members from other countries as well, often with local branches, or are international, such as

168-837: The Horniman Circle Gardens and the Reserve Bank of India. The Managing Committee looks after the administration of the Society. The Managing Committee consists of a President, Four Vice Presidents, an Hon. Secretary, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Society, and Fifteen members who are elected from among the Resident members. In addition to the elected members, the Central Government and State Government have one representative each. In September 2019, Vispi Balaporia became

192-969: The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions or the Regional Studies Association , in which case they often have national branches. But many are local, such as the Massachusetts Medical Society , the publishers of the internationally known The New England Journal of Medicine . Some learned societies (such as the Royal Society Te Apārangi ) have been rechartered by legislation to form quasi-autonomous non-governmental organizations . Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election. Some societies offer membership to those who have an interest in

216-758: The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland was established in London in 1823, the Literary Society of Bombay became affiliated with it and was known as the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (BBRAS) since 1830. The Bombay Geographical Society merged with it in 1873, followed by the Anthropological Society of Bombay in 1896. In 1954, it was separated from the Royal Asiatic Society and renamed

240-1192: The World Association in Economics is free of cost. Following the globalization and the development of information technology, certain scholarly societies—such as the Modern Language Association—have created virtual communities for their members. In addition to established academic associations, academic virtual communities have been so organized that, in some cases, they have become more important platforms for interaction and scientific collaborations among researchers and faculty than have traditional scholarly societies. Members of these online academic communities, grouped by areas of interests, use for their communication shared and dedicated listservs (for example JISCMail ), social networking services (like Facebook or LinkedIn ) and academic oriented social networks (like Humanities Commons, ResearchGate , Mendeley or Academia.edu ). The Asiatic Society of Mumbai Town Hall The Asiatic Society of Mumbai Town Hall or Town Hall Mumbai

264-627: The research studies in the language, philosophy, arts and natural and social sciences in relation to India and Asia, publishing journals, maintaining a library and museum, establishing institutes and centres which fulfill aims and objects of the Society. The library of the Society has over a hundred thousand books out of which 15,000 are classified as rare and valuable. It also has priceless artifacts and over 3,000 ancient manuscripts in Persian , Sanskrit and Prakrit , mostly on paper but some on palm leaf. The numismatic collection of 11,829 coins includes

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288-481: The sociology of science argue that learned societies are of key importance and their formation assists in the emergence and development of new disciplines or professions. In the form of professional associations, they can assist in the creation of pathways to leadership. The World Association in Economics provides help to the members of the WAE on the following issues: Societies can be very general in nature, such as

312-463: The 18th century. The structure has a height of 30 m (98 ft) and a span of 61 m (200 ft). It was inspired by Greek and Roman styles of architecture. There is a flight of 30 steps leading to the entrance of the Town Hall. The entrance of the building is adorned with a Grecian portico and eight Doric styled pillars. The entire construction was made of stones brought from England and

336-513: The 19th century) could not be completed because of the lack of funds; only the library and museum were built after raising an amount of Rs.10,000 through a lottery conducted by the 'Literary Society of Bombay' (Mumbai). Construction was eventually completed in 1833. The building was designed by Colonel Thomas Cowper of the Bombay Engineers. The architectural style of the building is Neoclassical architecture that came into existence in

360-409: The Asiatic Society of Bombay. In 2002, it acquired its present name. It is funded by an annual grant from the Central Government of India. The aims and objectives of the Society when it was formed in the year 1804 were "to promote useful knowledge particularly such as is now immediately connected with India". Thereafter, on several occasions, some more aims and objectives were added such as encouraging

384-483: The Literary Society of Bombay published its transactions under the title, Transactions of the Literary Society of Bombay . In 1841, the Asiatic Society of Bombay commenced publishing its journal titled, Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society . From 1955 to 2002, it published its journal under the name, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bombay and from 2002, its journal has been published under

408-470: The Society by Mountstuart Elphinstone , governor of Bombay and President of the Society from 1819–1827 and bears his signature. It is said that, in the 1930s, the Italian government under Benito Mussolini offered the society one million pounds , calling the book a national treasure. Mussolini believed that the offer could not be refused, but to his shock, the Society turned down his request stating that it

432-591: The activities of their members in the public interest or the collective interest of the membership. Some of the oldest learned societies are the Académie des Jeux floraux (founded 1323), Sodalitas Litterarum Vistulana (founded 1488), Accademia della Crusca (founded 1583), Accademia dei Lincei (founded 1603), Académie Française (founded 1635), German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (founded 1652), Royal Society (founded 1660) and French Academy of Sciences (founded 1666). Scholars in

456-459: The first woman president of The Asiatic Society of Mumbai in its 215-year-old history. Learned society Most learned societies are non-profit organizations , and many are professional associations . Their activities typically include holding regular conferences for the presentation and discussion of new research results, and publishing or sponsoring academic journals in their discipline. Some also act as professional bodies, regulating

480-400: The name, Journal of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai . The Society has undertaken digitization of all its collection including books, newspapers, manuscripts, government publications, journals and maps and has made them available on the Society's digital platform ‘Granth Sanjeevani'. The Campbell Memorial Gold Medal was established in 1907 and is awarded to recognize distinguished services on

504-539: The subject of Oriental History, Folklore or Ethnology which further the investigation and encouragement of Oriental Arts, Sciences and Literature. The first winner was archaeologist Aurel Stein in 1908. Established in 1946, the medal is awarded for valuable research work in Vedic Studies or in Classical Sanskrit with special reference to Dharma Shastra and Poetics. The Silver Medal is awarded to

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528-493: Was designed in a Neo-classical fashion. Within the building are wooden floors, spiral staircases, and terraces adorned with wrought iron. The hall boasts of a collection of marble statues of Indian patrons of the 19th century. There is also a flagpole on the building on which the Indian National Flag is hoisted on the 15th of August and 26th of January , every year. The Asiatic Society of Mumbai Town Hall

552-400: Was donated by an ex-member of the Society and hence it was their property. The adopt-a-book scheme was recently introduced by the Society which allows patrons to fund the upkeep of rare books. The Society is financially in the red with a loss of Rs 1 crore (10 million). Due to the availability of information from the internet , membership has dropped significantly in recent years. Initially,

576-569: Was not completed until the year 1 after many fits and starts, when the Government of Bombay agreed to make up for the shortfall in funds in return for office-space. Apart from the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, the building also houses State Central Library and a museum, Maharashtra Women's Association, and the Additional Stamp Controller Office. The edifice is in the prime Fort area of South Mumbai overlooking

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