By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 12 Sep: INTACH Uttarakhand organised a successful and interactive virtual session with 10 cultural museums of Uttarakhand presenting ‘ek khas cheez’ of their museums. The Soham Himalayan Centre, Mussoorie, described their numismatic collection. Sameer Shukla showed the vintage silver coin of the 2nd Century BC, from the Kuninda dynasty. They were the first rulers of central Himalayan regions where Uttarakhand falls now. Surbhi of the Mussoorie Heritage Centre showed a vintage Edwardian rear car lamp used during the British times. The Rung Museum from Dharchula represented by Ravi Patiyal, showed their traditional wine fermentation equipment and process and the exciting brass and wood equipment used in it.
The Pratap Museum/Tibar, Uttarkashi, exhibited their collection made from the Bhimal tree. The ropes, harnesses, and slippers were made from the tree bark. He also informed the audience that production of slippers made from the bark of Bhimal tree is being exported too from Rishikesh. The Folk Culture Museum, spearheaded by Yashodhar Matpal, Padma Shri, talked of the paintings that they have in their collection which depict the various customs, traditions and landscapes of Uttarakhand. Matpal, who is 86 years old, continues to paint and at times his canvases are as big as 9 ft by 5 ft.
The Jugal Kishore Perthshali Museum showed the traditional musical instrument, ‘Ranshinga’, which is used in all cultural functions across Uttarakhand.
Neeraj from the recently inaugurated Jim Corbett Museum at Rudraprayag, which is at the very site where the Man-eater of Rudraprayag was shot in 1926, showed the typewriter used for writing letters. The Jim Corbett Museum at Chotti Haldwani, Kaladhungi, which was where Corbett lived with his family showed the ‘dandy’ used to commute the steep climb uphill to Nainital. The session was curated by Anjali Bharthari Ravi, Co-convenor, INTACH Uttarakhand. Bharti P Jain, Convenor, Dehradun, proposed the vote of thanks.
This was an effort to form a collective of museums of the state and to revitalise them by building their capacities so that visiting museums becomes an enriching experience. It was also an endeavour to make museums a popular component in the itinerary of the lakhs of visitors coming to Uttarakhand who miss out on the opportunity to know and appreciate the rich cultural heritage of the state. INTACH, by spearheading conservation of heritage, would like to integrate culture into the itinerary of the visitors to sensitise them and make them responsible visitors.
