Gurusaday Museum shut down: “A National Treasure of Indian Heritage” and unique collection of Dokra Metal craft – West Bengal

Banbibi © Gurusaday Museum Kolkata | Museum collections – India >>

“The finest and biggest folk-art museum in Asia.” (The Times of India, 27 December 2017)

“We have more news of sorrow in the City of Joy. The Gurusaday Museum on Diamond Harbour Road in the Joka area is to shut down. […] Why can’t city’s aesthetics and commerce co-exist in Kolkata?” (The Times of India, 13 March 2018)

“The central government, which withdrew its grant to Gurusaday Museum in 2017, has proposed to take over the museum’s artefacts. […] But does that mean all other museums should shut down?” – (The Telegraph, 23 February 2020)

The Gurusaday Museum – a National Treasure of Indian Heritage has a rich collection of approximately 3300 exquisite exhibits of folk arts and crafts, which amply reflect the vigour and vitality of the rural life of undivided Bengal as well as in India. The museum was initially started with 2325 exquisite specimens including several heirlooms, collected by Shri Gurusaday Dutta, I.C.S., between 1929 and 1939, when he was the head of the District Administration (Magistrate/Collector) of various districts of undivided Bengal. No duplicate of these items can be found in any museums in the world.
Later on several people donated their collection to enrich this museum. One of the notable donations came from Dr. Pratap Chandar Chunder, the ex-Union Minister of Education, Govt. of India, who has donated 80 Chinese objects and the other from Shri Prasenjit Dasgupta, who had donated his entire collection of Dokra Metal crafts that he had collected from the Chattisgarh [Chhattisgarh].

Collections of the Gurusaday Museum

Address
Gurusaday Museum,
Gurusaday Dutt Folk Art Society,
Bratacharygram, Joka,
Kolkata – 700104
Phone & Fax: +91-33-2453-5972 (Executive Secretary)
Other Phones: +91-33-2438-0390, 2467-6048
Mobile (Executive Secretary):+91-8902277456 and +91-9674208519
E-mail: gsmuseum@rediffmail.com

Source: Collections of the Gurusaday Museum
URL: http://www.gurusadaymuseum.org
Date visited: 9 December 2020

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