[MSN] India. Bargarh Museum crying for attention

[MSN]

Bargarh Museum crying for attention
Tuesday April 22 2008 11:22 IST
Santanu Biswal

 
BARGARH: THE cumulative efforts of several people gave shape to the Bargarh
Museum in 1994. But thanks to official apathy, the museum, lying closed, is
a picture of neglect.

Set up by the personal initiative of the then District Collector Anu Garg
with support from the then legislator from Sohela and Minister Prakash
Chandra Debata and a few other Samaritans, the museum was located in a hall
provided free by the Regulated Cooperative Marketing Society (RCMS) along
the College Road here.

The entire exercise was aimed at preserving and conserving the rich cultural
tradition of the district. 

Prominent among the donors was Sambalpuri Bastralya. It donated weaving
materials, motifs and traditional designs made of vegetable dyes.

Soon the museum had eight stone sculptures dating back to 6 A.D, rare old
coins, one sword used by martyrs of Ghess Zamindar family during First War
of Independence, 18 pieces of traditional tribal ornaments and jewellery, 13
terracotta items, six wooden toys which continue to be known as Bargarh
toys, four handloom instruments including one used by Padmashree Acharya, 41
traditional Sambalpuri designs on handloom fabric, 25 rare palm leaf
manuscripts and rare musicals instruments like dhunkel.

However, two items which were the centre of attraction were a wooden bicycle
used by a tribal family of Rajborasambar princely estate and a 'Kansardi', a
woodcraft play item of Ghess Zamindar's wife.

With no designated staff for the museum, it was decided that a staff from
District Library would open the museum only on Friday, the weekly market
day. 

And the museum was also drawing crowd till official apathy took toll on it.

Last month, the priceless artefacts were shifted from the museum and dumped
in one corner of Gandhi Bhawan.

Attributing the closure of the museum to lack of staff, Bargarh DIPRO Dilip
Samantray said that the State Government had been moved for permanent staff
and the museum would be reopened only after that.

He said the threat of theft in absence of staff led him to shift the
artefacts to Gandhi Bhawan. Samantray also claimed that all the items were
safe and intact.

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