Heritage at stake

The country's lone Ethnological Museum, located in Chattogram's Agrabad area, could be turned into one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the country, had the authorities concerned promoted it properly.

Although the museum was launched over 48 years ago, the representation of almost half of the ethnic minority communities listed in the government gazette is absent from the museum.

During a recent visit to the museum, this correspondent saw that the roof of the hall rooms and galleries was vulnerable, with plasters falling off at different places.

Staffers said rainwater leaks from the rooftop all the time and harm the objects in hall rooms and galleries.

Wishing anonymity, a staffer said most of the lights in hall rooms and galleries have gone out of order but have not been replaced for years.

The exhibits in the museum, consisting of 11 rooms and four galleries, represent the lifestyle and culture of 26 ethnic minority communities in the country, including 12 such communities from Chattogram Hill Tracts.

I will write to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs for a project to renovate the museum under which, the representation of all ethnic minorities would be ensured. The building would also be renovated with the project.

— Ratan Chandra Pandit director general of the Department of Archeology

However, the government, through a gazette notification on March 23, 2019, listed a total of 50 ethnic minority communities in the country.

This implies that the representation of almost half of the ethnic minorities listed by the government is absent from the museum.

Rubel Majumder, a visitor at the museum, said, "This is a poor representation. Moreover, it is difficult to see the objects in the low-light rooms."

The first room of gallery one displays the portraits of national heroes and intellectuals of the country. Village life of the Pathan community in Pakistan and ethnological objects of India, Australia and Kirghiz are also displayed.

The second room of the same gallery displays photographs of rural life in Bangladesh.

Minati Barua, a staffer at the museum, said she has been working there for 30 years. "I enjoy my job of helping visitors by answering their queries."

She said foreign visitors crowd the museum during winter.

The entry fee for the museum is Tk 20. However, school students can enter the museum with Tk 5. The museum remains closed on Sundays.

Contacted, Dr Ataur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Archeology and also the keeper of the museum, said due to a fund crisis, they could not replace the lights.

When asked about the roof's condition, he said, "I have written to the head office for the renovation of the museum building."

Ataur said he joined the museum on June 17 and since then, he has been taking initiatives to encourage people to visit the museum and know about the ethnic minorities of the country.

"I have visited around 400 educational institutions to invite students and teachers to visit the museum," he said.

He said if a bus is allocated to carry the students to and from the museum, it could be helpful for its promotion and publicity.

"The National Museum has buses for students," he added.

Contacted, Dr Saifuddin Chowdhury, a former professor of the folklore  department at Rajshahi University, said although the government listed  50 ethnic minority communities, there are around 75 such communities in  the country.

Ratan Chandra Pandit, director general of the Department of Archeology, said an ethnological museum should have representation from all the ethnic minorities in the country.

"I will write to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs for a project to renovate the museum under which, the representation of all ethnic minorities would be ensured. The building would also be renovated with the project," he said.