Panaji: The directorate of archives will document the state’s rich cultural and historical legacy in audio-visual formats, which until now was only preserved in paper and document form.

“This is the first time we are creating a dedicated repository for audio-visual heritage,” said Gayatri Ghatwal, scientific officer, who was appointed head of the Goa State Audio-Visual Archives. “This institution is proposed to serve as a nodal centre for the preservation, documentation and dissemination of audio-visual materials that reflect Goa’s culture, history and identity.”Announced through a notification on May 8, the Goa State Audio Visual Archives was formally approved under the archives department in line with a budget assurance made by chief minister Pramod Sawant in his speech for the financial year 2025-26.Govt’s new initiative aims to expand the scope of heritage conservation by including audio tapes, video cassettes, film reels, CDs and digital recordings that capture the state’s living traditions.The ambitious project has two main objectives. Firstly, to acquire, preserve and digitise existing audio-visual material of historical or cultural significance — from rare spools, cassettes and early recordings of Goa’s freedom struggle, to interviews, traditional music performances and pre-liberation footage that might be lying forgotten in private collections.

Once preserved and digitised, it will be made accessible to researchers, students, historians and the public.Secondly, the archives will actively document Goa’s living oral traditions and folk knowledge that was passed down through generations in its villages. Rituals, legends, songs and local histories that were so far confined to memory and storytelling will now be recorded in audio-visual formats.“We appeal to the general public and organisations — if you have any historical footage, old recordings, videos related to the freedom movement or any such material with cultural or historical value, reach out to us,” she said.