Netaji’s family house turns into a tourist hotspot in Kurseong
Darjeeling: Netaji’s family house has emerged as a tourist hotspot in Kurseong. The heritage villa in Giddapahar on the outskirts of Kurseong houses a Netaji Museum and Centre for Studies in Himalayan Languages, Society and Culture.
Steeped in history, the house attracts hordes of tourists. “Kurseong is fast emerging as an important tourist destination. Tourists visiting Kurseong make it a point to visit the Netaji museum. There are many tourist groups arriving on a day tour of Darjeeling from the plains. The first stop over for this category of tourists is the Netaji Museum enroute to Darjeeling,” stated Ganesh Pradhan, officer-in-charge of the museum.
During peak tourist season, the daily footfall on an average is around 800, stated Pradhan. During the off season the number is around 200. “There is no entry fee to the museum. The location is also excellent with sprawling gardens and a viewpoint just across the road. The biggest advantage is that there is no traffic jam here as it is located outside the town. With each day the number of tourists is increasing,” added Pradhan.
The house, located 4 km from Kurseong Town, bears a rich legacy of two great sons of India — Sarat Chandra Bose and Netaji. In 1922, Sarat Chandra Bose purchased the house from one Rowley Lascelles Ward. Between 1933 and 1935, Sarat Chandra Bose was interned in this house for two years. Netaji himself was interned in this house for seven months in 1936. He again spent a few days in this house in October 1937. From this house he had corresponded with Emilie Schenkl, Rabindranath Tagore and had even penned down his Presidential address for the Haripura Congress. Many of his personal belongings are safely preserved here. In 1996, the department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal initiated the process of acquiring the house. Subsequently the government acquired the house, renovated it and handed it over to the Netaji Institute for Asian Studies. The house was thus converted into a Netaji Museum and Centre for Studies in Himalayan Languages, Society and Culture. In 2017, the state government allotted Rs 10 lakh for the repair and restoration work. It has been declared a state heritage.
The 127th birth anniversary was commemorated in the villa on Tuesday. “We wanted to spend the day here, hence we had planned our tour to Kurseong accordingly. My daughter learned a lot of things about Netaji from the museum. It is very well maintained,” stated Pradip Kummar Mullick, a tourist from North 24-Parganas.
Netaji’s birth anniversary was also commemorated jointly by the Information and Cultural Affairs department of the Bengal government and the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration at the Darjeeling Mall. “Netaji had a lot of trust in the Gorkhas. Together they fought shoulder-to-shoulder for the independence of this country,” stated Anit Thapa, Chief Executive, GTA, addressing the gathering at the Darjeeling Mall.
