QR codes to act as audio guide for visitors inside Alipore Jail museum

Kolkata: One seldom gets an able guide free of cost when touring a historical place but such a hassle has been done away with at the Alipore Jail Museum in Kolkata as a QR Code has instead been introduced which if scanned with a mobile phone, an audio file will act as the guide narrating the tales of bravery of Indian freedom fighters.

West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO) Ltd announced on Thursday that this QR Code is being made available in every cell inside this jail museum.

While taking a tour of this enchanting museum, set up inside the premises of this 116-year-old building, visitors may take the pleasure of losing themselves in a rich historical journey without having to wait for a guide to show them the way. These QR Codes can be scanned through mobile phones which will allow access to a “free audio guide”.

One can access such QR codes outside the many cells in this museum named after the freedom fighters who were incarcerated here during the independence struggle against the British Raj. Some of these are — Netaji Cell, Dr BC Roy Cell, Nehru Cell, Deshbandhu Cell, and Deshapriya Cell.

An official said the list of freedom fighters, whose names are associated with Alipore Jail during the freedom struggle, is endless. He said there are ones who are known by many but there are also individuals whose contribution to this country’s fight for independence is enormous and yet their names are not widely known outside Bengal. This museum provides the opportunity to get acquainted with the lives of these personalities, he said.

The archives reveal the name of one such personality — Charu Chandra Bose. He is said to have shot dead Ashutosh Biswas, Public Prosecutor of the Alipore Bomb case, inside Jorabagan Court premises. Charu Chandra achieved this feat despite being physically challenged and he did not let his condition deter him from contributing to the cause of India’s freedom. He was executed on March 19, 1909.

Another attraction of the museum includes a light and sound show depicting the lives and struggles of our freedom fighters. The museum authorities said this initiative has been a hit among visitors. The light and sound show is performed both in Bengali and Hindi. It starts at 6:30 pm on all days except on Mondays when the museum remains closed.