Antiquity: WB Heritage Commission initiates process of streamlining collections of all museums in state

Kolkata: The West Bengal Heritage Commission (WBHC) has initiated the process of streamlining the collections of all museums in the state that are working in antiquity.

The Commission wants to form a joint united platform with a public-private partnership for evolving a proper synchronisation of all such museums, including those in the likes of the Indian Museum (IM), Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH) etcetera.

Chairman of WBHC, Alapan Bandyopadhyay said on Tuesday that the Commission is working in collaboration with Ernst & Young in this direction to integrate various heritage aspects of musical, cultural, literary, fluvial and biodiversity among others. “If we can integrate all museums that are working in antiquity under one common platform, then it will be a win-win situation for all and challenges related to lack of manpower and funds can also be addressed. The focus in the recent past has been only on built heritage and now we are laying emphasis on integrating all types of heritage,“ Bandyopadhyay said.

The WBHC marked the occasion of World Heritage Day by organising a presentation on the fluvial morphological heritage of Bengal by the Chairman of West Bengal Pollution Control Board Kalyan Rudra and Biodiversity Heritage of Bengal by Chairman of West Bengal Biodiversity Board, Himadri Sekhar Debnath. Icomos India made a presentation on Integration of built, natural and intangible heritage of the state.

Representatives from 20 museums attended the programme hosted by WBRC that included IM, VMH and private museums like Boat Museum at Kankurgachi, Chandraketugarh Museum, Baruipur Anchalik Sangrahalaya, Sunderban Anchalik Gabeshana Kendra, Rakhal Das Bandyopadhyay Memorial Museum in Murshidabad, Bankim Bhavan Gabeshana Kendra at Naihati to name a few.