Kolkata: Nehru Children’s Museum (NCM) — Bengal’s lone museum exclusively for children — has been reeling under dire financial distress and the council of museums is seeking public donation for its sustenance. The museum has been closed since March 20 while its 23 staff on the pay-roll are under ‘no-work-no-pay’ policy.
However, NCM is not the only museum in the city, which has been facing deep crisis. Most of the museums are in great trouble and the basic upkeep of rare artefacts and antiquities is also being affected. “We have written to all MLAs and MPs from Bengal across the party line on the current financial distress of the museum. But we got no response from anyone,” said Indrani Sengupta, secretary of NCM.
NCM was founded by Jugal Srimal, a child enthusiast and philanthropist in 1972 at its current location on Chowringhee Road just behind Nandan cultural complex, under the parent body of National Cultural Society, which he had established in 1945. Srimal was also behind the toy-train project at Rabindra Sarobar. The museum has collections of dolls from across the world and depicts two epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, in models.
“It is sad that the only museum for children in Bengal is reeling under such crisis. But all museums must reinvent themselves to be relevant and attract resources for self-sustenance. I don’t think there is any dearth for funds. One needs to bring in some dynamism so that a larger group of people takes interest in its activities,” said Professor Sachindranath Bhattacharya, an eminent museologist and president of Paschimbanga Sangrahalaya Samiti, one of the oldest associations for museum movement in Bengal. NCM used to earn revenues for sustenance from meagre gate ticket and the fees from different courses run by the museum.
“What I feel strongly is that the museum like NCM did not grow beyond what Jugal Srimal had envisioned it 50 years ago. The museum has a great potential to explore avenues to become the best museum for children,” said Bhattacharya, who listed many museums in the city in a moribund state, despite receiving financial support from the government.
However, NCM is not the only museum in the city, which has been facing deep crisis. Most of the museums are in great trouble and the basic upkeep of rare artefacts and antiquities is also being affected. “We have written to all MLAs and MPs from Bengal across the party line on the current financial distress of the museum. But we got no response from anyone,” said Indrani Sengupta, secretary of NCM.
NCM was founded by Jugal Srimal, a child enthusiast and philanthropist in 1972 at its current location on Chowringhee Road just behind Nandan cultural complex, under the parent body of National Cultural Society, which he had established in 1945. Srimal was also behind the toy-train project at Rabindra Sarobar. The museum has collections of dolls from across the world and depicts two epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, in models.
“It is sad that the only museum for children in Bengal is reeling under such crisis. But all museums must reinvent themselves to be relevant and attract resources for self-sustenance. I don’t think there is any dearth for funds. One needs to bring in some dynamism so that a larger group of people takes interest in its activities,” said Professor Sachindranath Bhattacharya, an eminent museologist and president of Paschimbanga Sangrahalaya Samiti, one of the oldest associations for museum movement in Bengal. NCM used to earn revenues for sustenance from meagre gate ticket and the fees from different courses run by the museum.
“What I feel strongly is that the museum like NCM did not grow beyond what Jugal Srimal had envisioned it 50 years ago. The museum has a great potential to explore avenues to become the best museum for children,” said Bhattacharya, who listed many museums in the city in a moribund state, despite receiving financial support from the government.
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