CULTURE
Crumbling treasures
SHUJAAT BUKHARI
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Unless the artefacts in Srinagar’s Sri Pratap Singh Museum are protected, a valuable repository of Kashmiri culture will soon be lost.
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The museum’s battered history is similar to the state’s political history, where something has always halted a peaceful resolution to the issue.
PhotoS: Nissar Ahmad
Problems aplenty: Who will protect these treasures?
Kashmir’s cultural heritage is as splendid as its beauty, but the 109-year-old Sri Pratap Singh Museum, that is supposed to showcase Kashmiri culture, is in a shambles. With modern technology making its way into every sphere of life, it is hard
to believe that no documentation has taken place in the Museum since 1947.
Neither the State’s Directorate of Archaeology nor the Directorate of National Museums of India has paid any attention to the treasures that the museum contains. A project by UNESCO to revive and restore the museum is also faltering over various hurdles being created.
Early history
The museum’s battered history is similar to the state’s political history, where something has always halted a peaceful resolution to the issue. Founded on March 3, 1898, the museum has not moved out of its original structure, which was the Maharaja’s summer palace. Raja Amar Singh earmarked the palace for the museum, as he thought that the state’s rich treasure needed to be looked after.
History records that the museum’s first renovation took place in 1900. In 1920-22, Ram Chand Kak — then Superintendent of Archaeology and later the Prime Minister — began the task of documenting the museum’s treasures. In 1923, the then Maharaja sought the help of a leading expert, Daya Ram Sahai.
Among the treasures were the famous Gilgit manuscripts, which were brought by the Maharaja in 1912 and kept in this museum. In 1947 at Jawaharlal Nehru’s insistence, these were shifted to the National Museum in Delhi and have not been returned till date. Afterwards, almost all political leaders have talked about shifting the Museum to a permanent place, as it is currently situated in one of Srinagar’s busiest roads, but nothing has so far materialised.
Home for the museum
In 1977, Chief Minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah pledged to build “Tehzeeb Mahal” in the Emporium Garden for which the foundation was laid. At the same time Abhinav Theatre was planned in Jammu. This was completed in 1980, but “Tehzeeb Mahal” continues to be a dream.
In 1988, Farooq Abdullah, as Chief Minister, ordered the construction of a Cultural Complex near Hamza Villa on Boulevard, but this too failed to take off. Again in 1996, Dr Abdullah took the initiative to build the Museum in the same area but a public interest litigation stating that no construction can take place within one kilometre of the Dal Lake put an end to that.
When Mufti Mohammad Sayeed took over as Chief Minister in 2002, he too spoke of the construction of “Tehzeeb Mahal” and Hari Niwas, the largest building in Zabarwan Hills, was identified for this purpose. A cabinet order was passed and the building, which housed the CID wing of J&K Police, was handed over to Archaeology department in 2005. But still nothing happened.
Then Ghulam Nabi Azad chose the building as what is called Chief Minister’s “permanent” official residence. However, he decided to allot another piece of land near the current Museum for a new building. Though preliminary work was done another court case has put an end to these plans. Experts also point out that the new place is a low lying area and was not suitable for the Museum.
Poor lighting
But the real challenge at the moment is to protect the Museum’s treasures. According to experts who have been visiting the Museum, the authorities have not bothered to replace the incandescent bulbs with fluorescent ones. This is crucial since many of its decorative arts, fine textiles and papier-mâché are very sensitive to lighting. The museum has a large collection of textiles, among which is an embroidered map of Srinagar, but most of the items are dumped in a storeroom or buried under layers of dust. Insiders revealed that two oldest shawls were damaged recently, as officials forgot to switch off the lights.
Poor wiring is another major threat. A short circuit can reduce the whole museum and all that it contains into ashes very quickly. Recently a boat, used by the Viceroy and a 9th century statue were damaged.
Many challenges
“The challenges are manifold. First, we have to probe what has been lost or, to be precise, looted from time to time,” says activist Manzoor Daikoo. “The Government is completely insensitive to the issue.”
M. Saleem Beg, the convenor of INTACH’s J & K Chapter, says the government of India too has been dealing with these issues very casually. “I took the Director General of National Museums of India to the Museum in 2005 and showed him its condition. But nothing has moved so far,” he says. INTACH, he said, has been helping UNESCO in the work related to cultural history.
While the Director of State Archaeology was not available, the Deputy Director, Mohammad Shafi Zahid, admitted that the museum faced a plethora of problems. “But it is not within my competence to rectify it. It needs will on all sides,” he said helplessly.
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