Summary:
- Vandana Aggarwal, a former vice principal and cancer survivor, found purpose and distraction at home by transcribing over 14,000 pages of Singapore’s colonial-era documents for the National Archives’ Citizen Archivist Project.
- Her meticulous approach ensures accuracy, using her historical knowledge and cross-referencing sources, which has earned her recognition, including a certificate of appreciation and a nomination for the President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards.
- Through transcription, Vandana gained unique insights into colonial officials’ personal lives, appreciating Singapore’s history more deeply, and highlights that human transcription remains far more reliable than AI for complex historical documents.
Back in 2015, Vandana Aggarwal was stuck at home. Apart from battling occasional bouts of nausea – a side effect of the chemotherapy treatments for her breast cancer and lymphoma – the former vice principal had “totally nothing to do”.
The mother of two flipped through the newspaper as she always did before noticing an advertisement for The Citizen Archivist Project by the National Archives of Singapore (NAS).
As part of the project, members of the public were invited to log onto an online portal and contribute their knowledge or memories by describing photos and transcribing handwritten documents.
The materials were predominantly Straits Settlement records dating back to 1826. They included letters from officials in the colonial government of the time, including the likes of Sir Stamford Raffles and William Farquhar.
Though she would not be paid for her contributions, just the access alone was an exciting proposition for Vandana, a holder of both a master’s and bachelor’s degree in history. It was also a task she could complete entirely from the comfort of her home.
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14,000 pages over a period of 10 years
The cursive, flowing script of Singapore’s colonial era letters, memos, and dispatches is difficult for a computer to read.
For Vandana – who grew up in New Delhi, India where reading and writing cursively remains the standard – it is a cinch.
"It's only when you dig into the details that you need to put on your historian’s hat."
For the most part, Vandana transcribes only what she can read. She’d rather leave a blank space than “pluck a word out of my imagination”.
When she needs to double-check facts or get a better grasp of the background, she’ll head to the National Library Board’s (NLB) NewspaperSG portal to dive into its digital archive of old newspapers.
Over the years, the silver steadily worked her way through NAS’ repository. She estimates that she’s turned at least 14,000 handwritten pages into readable online text.
For her efforts, she received a certificate of appreciation from the NLB for her transcription work. She was more recently nominated for The President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards in 2024.
Intimate understanding of Singapore’s history
When Vandana first started, she used transcription as a way to while away sleepless nights. Back then, she took on a more immersive approach to transcribing letters – at least, until one night.
"And that's the last time I would let myself get so absorbed. It was too creepy (laughs)."
Over time, she’s seen it as a way of gaining unfettered access into the minds of former colonial officials.
Perhaps that’s why Vandana, who immigrated to Singapore in 1994 with her family, believes there’s much we should appreciate about our colonial heritage.
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Transcription not easily replaced by AI, says citizen archivist
Today, the silver splits her time between transcription, freelance writing, and her four grandchildren. She still goes for chemotherapy about once a quarter.
If you’re wondering, the NAS is no longer accepting new applications for The Citizen Archivist Project.
To soothe her itchy fingers, Vandana has looked toward the national archives in her ancestral home of India.
"I estimate it's about 90% wrong (laughs)."
