Museums
Sheikh Iraj
Museums hold the memories of cultures and civilisations. They play an important role in enriching the knowledge of the people and instill in them a sense of history and heritage. Of course, museums serve the purpose of amusement, but more importantly, they educate.
If you Google the word museum, this is what comes up on your screen: a building in which objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited. Now, this definition does not capture the range of various activities a museum does. There are many definitions about museums from different independent researchers. If one has to sum them up in a few simple words, it will be more like_ education is the core of museums.
This week, YI looks at some public museums in Bangladesh to see how they are helping new generations to learn about our heritage, what modern facilities are available and how they are a rich source for research and study.
Bangladesh National Museum
Bangladesh National Museum moved to its new premises at Shahbagh in the capital in 1983. Formerly known as Dhaka Museum, it began its journey in 1913. According to its website, the Museum has splendid collections on archaeology, history, natural history, ethnography, classical and contemporary art and world civilization, which range in date from prehistory to the present time.
Faizul Latif Chowdhury, director general of the National Museum, told this correspondent: Every day, we get on average 1,500 to 2,000 visitors. On Friday, the number of visitors goes up to more than 5,000.
A museum is for public education, plus the recent definition says it is for public entertainment at the same time, Chowdhury said.
So, you have to educate people while you are entertaining them by way of preserving, conserving and displaying the national heritage. Heritage has two parts, one is tangible another one is intangible. What we are preserving and what is on display is tangible heritage. We arrange different programmes, which are a part of intangible heritage... Only 100 different objects are posted on the museums website. But we are creating a virtual gallery on a small scale, we have gathered the hardware and the work on software is going on, we are hopeful it will be available for the public by May. We have requested the government for funds for another larger virtual gallery, he added.
To educate the younger generation about the countrys heritage, the museum organises different programmes and visits for schoolchildren, who come from different parts of the country.
Every day, students from at least one school visit our museum, sometimes up to five different schools visit as well. Students from primary to higher secondary schools come and spend half a day here. Entry is free for anyone below 12 years, while others have to pay Tk 2. If any school requests us, we arrange for a speech and gifts for the students. We have our own auditorium where we show them documentaries. We have guides to take the children around the museum and describe the different objects on display. Sometimes, we give out brochures. We are not able to conduct such arrangements all the time, but from time to time, we try to keep the requests that come along. We have free Wi-Fi in the lobby. We have a library, it is more for researchers than students, but we encourage people to spend time there. The digitization of our library is going on, we have received funds, but we are yet to decide on the software we are going to use. We are hopeful that by the end of 2017, we will have a good library management system, the DG said.
At the moment, we do not have any bus service for students. Long ago, there used to be such a service, but after the buses went out of order, we didnt buy any new ones. Recently, we have requested BRTC (Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation) to provide us with a couple of buses so that we can resume the school bus service, Chowdhury added.
There is no definite data when it comes to the number of museums in Bangladesh. There is also no scope for studying museology in the country at the moment. Ahsan Manzil, Museum of Independence at Suhrawardy Udyan, Zainul Abedin Art Gallery, Osmani Museum and Zia Memorial Museum run under the supervision of Bangladesh National Museum.
If I have to guess, the number may be around 250 _ many of them are private museums. We have an association called Council of Museums, which is in a dormant state. We are trying to revive it, said Chowdhury. I think the time has come to develop some professional museologists. Some of the universities can show interest in introducing a subject like museology. There are many museums in our country, and we are in need of experts, he added.
Folk Art and Crafts Museum
Very close to Dhaka, lies Sonargaon, one of the most historical towns in Bangladesh. With its magnificent old buildings and monuments, the once capital of ancient Bengal hosts a museum dedicated to preserving our traditions and culture. Planned by legendary artist Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, the Folk Art and Crafts Museum (Lok Shilpa Jadughar) is an institution filled with history and natural beauty, a wonderful place to visit with the whole family.
The Museum was established in 1975 in an old zamindar palace, Bara Sardar Bari (built in 1901), which is undergoing restoration. A new building on the grounds of the palace houses the main office of the Bangladesh Folk and Craft Foundation, which runs the museum.
The museum grounds has a picturesque lake with boating and fishing facilities, an artisan village, replicas of traditional cottages, restaurants and handicraft shops. Visitors can also enjoy strolling around nearby Panam Nagar, an old town from the colonial period, and Goaldi Mosque from the Sultanate period.
Due to restoration work, the museum has been temporarily shifted from Bara Sardar Bari to the Foundation premises. For students, there are guides to show them around. An entry pass costs Tk 20, but on special occasions, access is free, said Md Rabiul Islam, deputy director of the Foundation. Recently, we have signed an agreement with Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation to give 20 per cent discount to any student group that comes with its recommendation, he added.
The Foundation office has a library and documentation centre. We have a very rich library and anyone who enters the premises can study there. We always welcome people who want to do research work, but they have to give an application first, Islam said.
Varendra Research Museum
Varendra Museum, maintained by Rajshahi University, is a research centre and popular attraction at Hatem Kha in the heart of Rajshahi city. The museum, founded in 1910 with the support of Maharaja of Dighapatia, was the first of its kind in then East Bengal.
The institution was established by Varendra Anushandhan Samiti (investigation society) for its own collection. The rajahs of Rajshahi and Natore donated their personal collections to the museum, and in 1964, it became part of Rajshahi University.
The museum is divided into seven exhibition halls, displaying artifacts from ancient Bengal, which were mostly found at nearby archaeological sites. It is a treasure house for students, researchers and tourists seeking to know the identity and history of Bangladesh.
Students and researchers are allowed to study in the central library, which is situated in the inner part of the museum, said Sultan Ahmed, director of Varendra Research Museum.
Students and researchers have that privilege for education and research purposes. But due to insufficient space and lack of support, we are not able to provide modern facilities to the visitors, the director said.
In 2010, the museum received a US grant of Tk 7.5 million and has started work on refurbishment and modernisation, including new lighting and management of the records. Part of the roof of the 18th century building has been rebuilt, Ahmed added.
National Museum of Science Technology
National Museum of Science Technology (NMST) was established in 1965 as an informal science and technology education centre, based in the Dhaka Public Library. It moved to its permanent home at Agargaon in the capital in 1981. It has different galleries dedicated to physics, biology, space, technology, industry, science fun and young scientists; a sky observatory, a science park and a science library.
The main objective of this museum is to make a science-loving nation through science learning. This museum is popularising science and technology among all levels of people, especially school children throughout the country. It encourages science education in schools and other educational institutions, said Swapan Kumar Roy, director general of NMST.
The museum arranges guided tours of the different galleries for explaining scientific information and theories through exhibits, seminars, meetings, popular science lectures, workshops, videos, film shows and science fairs, Roy said. It also publishes science magazines, booklets, leaflets.
Approximately 500 to 700 visitors visit the museum every day. But to encourage more people and to involve more young minds, we arrange science and ICT week every year in different districts of the country. We are also planning to provide different research facilities for young researchers, said Roy.
NMST has a mobile museum, dubbed Meuso-Bus. The mobile museum goes to different educational institutions for exhibition.
It is generating pro-science attitude in childrens mindset in a playful way, and encouraging young scientists, the DG said.
Moreover, the museum has three powerful telescopes, through which people can observe the sky and stars every Saturday and Sunday on cloudless evenings. A rare meteorite is preserved in the museum. It was collected from Sinpara in Thakurgaon where it fell in 2006. As it is a priceless object, it is not on open display, but accessible for a specific purposes like research and observation.
Fazle Rabbi Khan and Faruk Khan contributed to this report.
