A house for Netaji

[Guest guest]

A house for Netaji

Bose's ancestral home is finally a museum

DILIP BISOI

Posted online: Sunday, July 10, 2005 at 0118 hours IST

 

Janakinath Bhawan, the imposing yellowish building on almost an acre

land in Oriya Bazar of Cuttack city, is finally getting the

attention it deserves. Under the guidance of INTACH, the house is

being turned into a museum showcasing the life and times of Netaji

Subash Chandra Bose, who was born here in 1897.

 

The fate of the house took a turn for the better in 2001 when the

Centre set its eye on it. Dusting the state government's proposal to

convert the building into a personal museum with an investment of Rs

3.75 crore, the Centre sanctioned Rs 1.5 crore as part of its 50%

share for the project. A trust was constituted in the style of

Netaji Birth Place Museum Trust to execute the work.

 

The building has been renovated and the memorabilia of Netaji is

being displayed in the galleries of the ground floor. The first

floor galleries and the formal garden would be ready for the public

by October, 2005.

 

"We have tried to retain the ambience of the early 20th century

while restoring the building," says Orissa culture minister Damodar

Rout. The museum will be of international standard with modern

display system, display signs, lightings, interpretation system,

besides computer station for exhibiting films on Netaji, he says,

adding "we are working to make the museum a National Memorial."

 

The building and the memorabilia belonging to Netaji have tremendous

historical value, says BK Rath, the superintendent of the state

department of archeology.

 

The trust is now proposing to build an open air auditorium with the

museum as a backdrop. Plans are also there to have a light and sound

system for the museum.

 

The repository by now has become a treasure house of Netaji's

personal memorabilia. The furniture and the household articles used

by the freedom fighter, the books he read, the photographs he posed

for were in display. Also in the display are artifacts and documents

related to the life of Bose. Among the most valuable collections of

Netaji's is the bunch of letters he had written from jails in

Rangoon, Shillong, Kolkata and also from Germany, Italy and Geneva.

 

Rath, who is doubling as the ex-officio director of the Netaji Birth

Place Museum Trust, in fact, has been assiduously pursuing people

and organisations worldover to donate to the museum. His effort has

resulted in a flood of articles from Netaji's associates, INA

soldiers, and fans.

 

One Haribandhu Sahu, who had bought the Palanka (huge cot) used by

Netaji from his family members long back has donated back the same

to the museum. INA Lieutenant R Laxmidevi Naidu of Chennai, Captain

CN Santhanam, and Mrs Achamaratra from Eranakulam have donated rare

photographs, books and INA dresses. The West Bengal government has

promised to donate a life-size wax statue of Netaji. The maximum

contribution has come from AS Sanyasi Rao, a man from

Srugabarphukota village in Vizanagaram district of Andhra Pradesh.

Rao has donated over 316 rare photographs, 160 books and journals.

 

However, the donation from SK Abdus Sattar Hazari, a hundred-year-

old villager from Fazalpur under Korei post office of Jajpur

district, has shed light on a different aspect of the national

leader. Hazari has handed over the museum authorities a homeopath

box used by Netaji to treat cholera patients in the area.

 

"We have also requested the government of Japan, Singapore and

Burma, where Netaji had spend most of his times in later age, to

donate to the museum," points out Dr Rath.

 

Meanwhile, the Trust is planning to set up a special corpus to meet

the recurring expenses of the museum. The museum, meanwhile, started

earning by way of entry fee and sale of souveneirs.

 

However, the government seems to be quite disturbed with the PIL

filed by one Netaji Subas Samiti Parisad. The Parisad has alleged

that the museum works are not being done properly and there is

misuse of funds. The state government has filed an affidavit in the

court countering the allegations. Like Netaji, the museum may have

to live with controversy.

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=96078?

headline=A~house~for~Netaji