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Govt. converts house into Gandhi Bhawan Museum
Hyderi Manzil, a single storied house in north Kolkata where Mahatma Gandhi spent August 15, 1947 and a site that has emerged as a symbol of his fight against communalism was on Wednesday thrown open to the public as a full-fledged museum, depicting various aspects of the life of the Father of the Nation. The Department of Information and Cultural Affairs, Government of West Bengal has converted Hyderi Manzil into the Gandhi Bhawan Museum. It bears the most prominent footprints of Gandhiji in Kolkata, a place where he stayed for three weeks — August 12 to September 6, 1947 — when the city was facing communal riots.
Spread over 3500 sq ft, the permanent exhibition — Mohandas to Mahatma — has 41 story-line display panels where the life of Gandhi is depicted in three sections. The museum was thrown open to the public during the day to mark the 150th birth anniversary of the apostle of non-violence. Letters, photographs, display panels and even graphics depicting different facets of Gandhi’s life are on display. The first section of the museum deals with Gandhi’s education and early life in South Africa. This is followed by another section that deals with his return to India in 1914, historic events like his stay at Champaran, the Chauri Chaura incident of 1922 and the Bombay Riots of 1921. The last section deals with his stay at the Hyderi Manzil where he spent more than three weeks in 1947 fasting for communal peace and amity. A room where the personal belongings, including a few weapons that the rioting mobs surrendered before him have also been displayed afresh. Referring to the upgrade, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said her government has “completely renovated” the building and set up a museum there.
