The historic Keshar Library that lies within the confines of the Ministry of Education and Sports in Kathmandu is struggling to preserve its rare collection of 700-odd ancient photographs owing to a "fund crunch" — as the ministry likes to put it. Just a few of the photos have been preserved in albums, the rest lie in the open, some ripped apart right down the middle, others fast fading with age. Some of the pictures date back as far as 1922, the year Prime Minister Chandra Sumsher SJB announced the abolition of slavery and there are snaps of Kings Mahendra and Tribhuvan making merry during their youth.

The usual life of these photographs is 100 years but it can be extended with due care. The best method devised so far is the digitisation of the photographs into microfilms and tapes, which can store a large number of these ancient treasures in the minimum of space. Chemical preservation is another option. According to the chief librarian, the library has been unable to fund a gallery designed for the same purpose. Scottish historian Thomas Carlyle famously said: "History is the essence of innumerable biographies." The snapshots at the Keshar Library have important stories to tell about the men and women who shaped the country. The expenses incurred in the preservation of these telltale embodiments of the history of Nepal will be negligible vis-a-vis the priceless gems that would be saved.