| Kolkata Jan 04, 2015 11:30 AM IST
Lack of maintenance and absence of a curator at the General Post Office's century-old Postal Museum have damaged the artifacts of historical value which are housed there.
With the museum -- which has been closed for more than a year now -- wearing a look of disrepair, authorities at the General Post Office (GPO) are seeking assistance from Indian Museum for carrying out a quick restoration.
The Postal Museum is located on the ground floor of the GPO.
While one had to struggle through mounds of rubble fallen from damaged walls to peep behind an almirah for a glimpse of a rare 1806 photograph of the under-construction GPO, another photograph, depicting the then beautiful lawns in front of the building, now converted into a parking area, was seen lying on the floor.
Valuable British era maps of the country looked like coming apart under the effect of the damp walls of the museum.
Besides spoiling the old postal map of 'Behar Circle', dated January, 1890, the damp walls have also taken a toll on the traffic chart of Bengal and Assam Circle Route, another map of the country's Railway System dated April, 1904, along with one on the country's airmail service during the Raj.
It is now difficult to properly make out the oldest postal map of Calcutta, published in 1911 and incorporating minute details of Col SG Burrard, the then Surveyor General of India.
The most valuable of the lot -- specimen signatures of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and a postal life insurance policy document signed by CV Raman, another Nobel winner -- which are kept wrapped in cellophane sheets, also appear to be in need of immediate care.
Several items seem under threat due to the lack of proper maintenance while many exhibits are kept on the floors for want of space.
"We know that if these maps and papers are not restored immediately, they will be gone forever," a senior official at Kolkata GPO told PTI.
With the museum -- which has been closed for more than a year now -- wearing a look of disrepair, authorities at the General Post Office (GPO) are seeking assistance from Indian Museum for carrying out a quick restoration.
The Postal Museum is located on the ground floor of the GPO.
While one had to struggle through mounds of rubble fallen from damaged walls to peep behind an almirah for a glimpse of a rare 1806 photograph of the under-construction GPO, another photograph, depicting the then beautiful lawns in front of the building, now converted into a parking area, was seen lying on the floor.
Valuable British era maps of the country looked like coming apart under the effect of the damp walls of the museum.
Besides spoiling the old postal map of 'Behar Circle', dated January, 1890, the damp walls have also taken a toll on the traffic chart of Bengal and Assam Circle Route, another map of the country's Railway System dated April, 1904, along with one on the country's airmail service during the Raj.
It is now difficult to properly make out the oldest postal map of Calcutta, published in 1911 and incorporating minute details of Col SG Burrard, the then Surveyor General of India.
The most valuable of the lot -- specimen signatures of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and a postal life insurance policy document signed by CV Raman, another Nobel winner -- which are kept wrapped in cellophane sheets, also appear to be in need of immediate care.
Several items seem under threat due to the lack of proper maintenance while many exhibits are kept on the floors for want of space.
"We know that if these maps and papers are not restored immediately, they will be gone forever," a senior official at Kolkata GPO told PTI.
Source : http://wap.business-standard.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment