Khajistan Completes Digitization of 1,000+ Urdu Children’s Books
by Khajistan Cultural Desk
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Preservation Projects: Part of an Ongoing Series
New York, NY — Khajistan has completed the digitization and preservation of a large, vulnerable collection of Urdu children’s books and magazines that rarely survive in libraries.
The archive comprises 1,180 individual items, representing about 373 distinct titles. Most are in Urdu, with a smaller group in mixed Urdu and English. Together they span more than a century, from early twentieth century booklets to children’s magazines printed in the 2000s. Many were originally sold cheaply at neighborhood bookstalls and were never meant to last.
Collection Fact Sheet
Collection Overview
| Collection | Urdu children’s books and magazines |
| Total items | 1,180 |
| Distinct titles | About 373 |
| Languages | Mostly Urdu; a smaller group in mixed Urdu and English |
| Span | Early twentieth century to the 2000s |
| Condition | Acidic paper, rusting staples, brittle pages, detaching covers; insect, dust, and humidity damage |
| Status | Digitization and preservation complete |
Featured Long-Running Serials
| Monthly Humdard Naunehal | 188 issues |
| Monthly Sathi Karachi | 129 issues |
| Monthly Taleem-o-Tarbiyat Lahore | 92 issues |
| Bachon Ki Duniya Lahore | 88 issues |
| Monthly Khelona Lahore | 54 issues |
| Monthly Honehar Pakistan Karachi | 47 issues |
| Bachon Ka Chanda Mamu Lahore | 42 issues |
| Monthly Zauq-o-Shauq Karachi | 31 issues |
| Other serials | Monthly Bachon ka Bagh Lahore, Monthly Atfal Lahore, Monthly Jugnu Lahore, Monthly Chanda, and Monthly Anokhi Kahaniyan Karachi |
Inside the Collection
The collection includes long running monthlies that shaped everyday reading for Urdu speaking children. Alongside these serials are hundreds of shorter storybooks and chapbooks with titles like Aladdin aur Latoo Jadugar, Ali Baba Chalis Chor, Ameer Hamza aur Majosi Jadugar, Ameer Hamza aur Siah Deo, Anglo Banglo Aur Adam Khoor Jazeera, Anglo Banglo Jado Nagri Mai, Angu Bangu Suraj Nagar Main, Tarzan Aur Adam Khor Jazeera, Tarzan aur Jasoos Larkian, and Tarzan Aur Aag Devta.
Condition and Risk
These items were printed on low-cost, acidic paper and bound with staples that are now rusting. Corners are frayed, pages are brittle, and covers have begun to detach. Insect damage, dust, and humidity had already affected a portion of the collection.
The Preservation Work
Khajistan has completed the digitization of this Urdu children’s archive by carefully cleaning and preparing each item, scanning it in high-resolution color, lightly restoring damaged pages where possible, and storing the files in open, stable formats for long-term preservation. This work protects not only the stories themselves, but also the visual and linguistic worlds through which generations of children learned to read, imagine, and understand their place in society.
For more information, please contact info@khajistan.com.
