BITM to open new gallery on communication tech

Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (BITM) in Kolkata — the first science museum in the country is all set to unveil a new gallery ‘Vintage Voyage-Communication Technology’ on Thursday to commemorate the occasion of International Museum Day (May 18).

The gallery explores the power of communication and the technologies that enable it to create and transform societies.

It has over 75 vintage artefacts fostering connectivity, along with stories revealing the societal impact of such technologies will be showcased to facilitate conversations around the ongoing challenge of communication.

Visitors to this permanent gallery at BITM will explore the fascinating stories of technological innovation and resourcefulness in overcoming vast distances in an often-hostile natural environment.

Focusing on two-way communication– the gallery will host an array of working artefacts (morse key, fire alarm with cranking system, semaphore, rail signal apparatus) and technologies, developed and designed in response to one of the fundamental drivers of our humanity — the innate need to connect.

“Technologies that the gallery will explore include communication methods past and present, post, telegraphy, telephony, radio and the innovations and technologies of various Indian path-breakers,” Subhabrata Chaudhuri, Director of BITM said.

The evolution of communicating devices is as alluring as the artefacts themselves.

Murals, mannequins, multimedia and modern art installations complement the teleprinters, ionosphere recorder, gramophone, manual telephone exchange, wall-mounted telephones, a replica of Bell’s liquid transmitter and fire-alarm box which occupy prime positions.

The gallery will be inaugurated by Prof Abhijit Chakrabarti, Member, Governing Body, National Council of Science Museums; Chairman, Executive Committee, BITM. Chakrabarti had also served as vice-chancellor of Jadavpur University.