Question

Why were the British keen on keeping and preserving records?

Answer 1

Answer:

There was a period in the history of man when writing was not known and

communication was only through speech which has been a vehicle of transmitting

ideas from the dawn of human culture. Man evolved the technique of oral

communication by the use of sounds that conveyed a message to the other person.

Knowledge was transmitted from generation to generation only through hearing and

speaking (Agrawal & Barkeshli, 1997).

From the beginning of human civilisation especially with the invention of

alphabets man was in search of a firm surface on which he could record his ideas and

experiences of the world for posterity. Pre-historic rock carving and scratching on

bone and antlers, ostraka, painted hides, carved amulets, notched sticks, runic

calendars, clog almanacs, bronze plaques and many other artifacts on which man

since earliest times has left a story in pictures, phonetic symbols, carved letters or

writing (Mukherjee, 1973). Paper was invented in China in 105 A.D. by T’Sai Lun

(Agrawal, O.P. 1997). Now-a-days paper is the most prominent support material

which is used extensively for writing, printing, currency notes and for packing

material.