Midnapore College

Museum

The Department of History of the College had nourished a dream of setting up a museum in which ancient relics and specimens of Archaeology would be preserved for the scholarly research and investigations about the civilization of ancient times. That would have been beneficent for both the teachers and students. After obtaining the affiliation of History Hons in 1958 from Calcutta University, the College authority also cherished a desire for a museum in the College Campus. The nascent idea of establishing museum was being crystallized through an academic tour of the History Dept to Susunia in the District of Bankura, which was led by Principal Dr. Sunil Chowdhury, also a Professor of History, in the year 1967.It would be relevant to mention that Susunia at Bankura is indeed a site of great historical importance, where the historians, teachers, researchers and students frequently visit to see and read the inscriptions of Chandrabarman, known as the famous Susunia Inscription issued by Chandrabarman (350-380 A.D). Dr. Paresh Chandra Dasgupta, Director of West Bengal Archaeological Museum on the invitation of Dr. Chowdhury accompanied the team of students and teachers. From Susunia Hill some stones of the Paleolithic age, weapons of primitive men, Terrokota’s Bisnu idol were procured in a room of the second floor of old UGC building, which was usually called museum by the students. Whatever the fact may be, all those relics were being preserved in the History Seminar Room in that old UGC building on the second floor. (Reference: The article, Chhinna Patar Sajai Tarani, a boat made of torn leaves, by Tushar Kanti Bhattacharya, Ex District Judge, South 24 Paraganas). An ancient idol of Sivalinga was collected by the students in a tour to Pathra village in the month of November, 1967 led by Principal Dr. Sunil Chowdhury and that was also kept in the History Seminar Room.

The yearning for a museum of College’s own was fortified in another tour to Calcutta Museum in the beginning of 1969. It was conducted by Prof Dhiraj Mohan Bhattacharya, Prof Binod Sankar Das and above all, Principal Dr. Chowdhury. Again the College students and teachers were regaled by the close companionship of Dr. Paresh Dasgupta and Sudhin De who was then Assistant Director of Calcutta Museum. However establishing a museum in the College remained in incipient stage and could not be executed in full form. Students and teachers were content only with the History Seminar Room where few Archaeological items were being stored up.

About fifty years have elapsed since a College museum was established in 2017 with the laudable effort of Principal Dr Gopal Chandra Bera, and also the teachers of History Dept on the first floor of the extended  portion of the northern side of Vivekananda Hall. With this effort Dr. Susnata Jana, Associate Professor of Bengali and Sri Jayanta Chakraborty, Cashier  were closely associated. Dr Jana also showed interest in this endeavor and began to collect specimens of old ages. He and Jayanta Chakraborty ransacked College’s old records which are worthy to be preserved in the museum. Both Dr. Susnata Jana and Sri Jayanta Chakraborty were selected Joint Conveners and were entrusted with the noble mission of looking after this museum.

The Museum is furnished with the Archaeological materials. Only the important of them are mentioned below:

  1. Talpatar Punthi (ancient manuscript written on palmary leaves with burnt rice ink by pigeon feather). This was written most probably in the medieval period about religious matters. This was collected by the joint endeavors of Dr Susnata Jana and Arindam Bhowmik, a researcher and scholar of Purba Medinipur, West Bengal.
  2. Baseball and hand mike of the British regime excavated from the ground of Thakbasta Building when it was broken and reconstructed with the name Rabindra Bhaban.
  3. Handicrafts and useable goods and materials of Santals and aboriginals collected from Jhargram and surrounding districts.
  4. Archaeological items like black kaulok, fragmented idol
  5. Dolls of Krishnagar, bamboo and cane handicrafts, horns of buffalo, oyster stone, jute and paddy works, wooden mask, and crafts models of Indian Classical Musical instruments, works of Palmyra leaves.
  6. Tribal tools like bow and arrow, hat of farmer, faces made of the roots of bamboo trees.
  7. Patachitra of Kalighat, an important reminiscence of old Calcutta
  8. Teracotta dolls and old coins
  9. The old record of 1944 about the opening of manufacturing industry for production of toothpaste, scented oil, ink etc by the College students in the Midnapore College campus with the initiative of Bigyan Parishad.
  10. The record of victory of the College students who defeated the British army men in the Amar Shield Final in 1944 organized by RAF
  11. The record of Kabiguru Rabindranath’s blessing to Midnapore College students in 1939 on the occasion of the inauguration of Vidyasagar Hall in Midnpaore Town.
  12. A canon was procured. This was being used before the Sepoy Mutiny.

Apart from the above mentioned items there are also other things in the museum which deserve the praiseworthy effort of the College. More expansion is expected in the days ahead.