Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday will virtually inaugurate Biplobi Bharat Galley at Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial Hall. “The gallery displays the contribution of the revolutionaries to the freedom struggle and their armed resistance to the British colonial rule. This aspect has often not been given its due place in the mainstream narrative of the freedom movement,” a press note from the Press Information Bureau said.
Jayanta Sengupta, secretary and curator of Victoria Memorial Hall, said the gallery will be a permanent one dedicated to Indian revolutionaries. Some of the original artifacts are letters by Sachindra Nath Sanyal of the Hindustan Republic Association including his prison diaries. “These documents were donated to us by the family of Sachindra Nath Sanyal,” Mr. Sengupta told The Hindu.
The gallery has panels dedicated to Anushilan Samity, Shri Aurobindo Ghose and the Alipore Bomb Case. Officials of the Memorial said they have been working on the gallery for over a year putting together orginal artifacts and facsimile and reproduction of several important historical documents.
“We are also displaying a collection of bombs and guns used by the revolutionaries,” Mr. Sengupta said. Some interesting exhibits are hand–made bombs in the shape of containers used to carry tins and guns like German Mauser from the Rodda company arms heist.
“The Biplobi Bharat Gallery depicts the political and intellectual backdrop that triggered the revolutionary movement. It showcases the birth of the revolutionary movement, formation of significant associations by revolutionary leaders, spread of the movement, formation of the Indian National Army, contribution of the Naval Mutiny, among others,” the press statement added.
The VMH authorities said they will continue to add new exhibits. Some historians believe that artifacts related to revoluntaries, who played a crucial role in the freedom struggle, are scattered all across the country and the gallery will provide visitors access to a large number of materials at one place.
