Gurusaday Museum

The eminent Indian ICS officer and folklorist, Gurusaday Dutt collected over 3000 artifacts in the course of his entire career, spanning from 1905 to 1941. The bulk of the artifacts were collected between 1929 and 1939. Dutt has been referred to as, arguably, one of the foremost pioneers in the field of conservation of folk art and culture.{{Cite journal |last=Hauser |first=Beatrix |date=2002 |title=From Oral Tradition to 'Folk Art': Reevaluating Bengali Scroll Paintings |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1178679 |journal=Asian Folklore Studies |publisher=Nanzan University |volume=61 |issue=1 |pages=105–122 }}{{Cite journal |last=Ghosh |first=Pika |date=2005 |title=Narrating Kṛṣṇa's Biography: Temple Imagery, Oral Performance, and Vaiṣṇava Mission in Seventeenth-Century Bengal |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25261819 |journal=Artibus Asiae |publisher=Artibus Asiae Publishers |volume=65 |issue=1 |pages=39–85 }} The notable Bengali historian Nihar Ranjan Roy once commented: "Gurusaday Dutt had revealed the origin and flow of folk art and culture with the insight of an expert jeweller, who can easily identify a real stone".{{Cite journal |last=Chakrabarti |first=Asis K |date=2008 |title=The Tradition of Scroll Paintings with a Special Emphasis on Lord Jagannatha |url=https://magazines.odisha.gov.in/Orissareview/2008/November-2008/engpdf/13-18.pdf |journal=Orissa Review |pages=13–18 |via=Odisha Government}}

After his passing away his belongings, especially the artifacts, were collected in an estate which was placed under the supervision of a trust of which the two original trustees were his brother-in-law, Major (Honorary) Basanta Kumar De, Commercial Traffic Manager (retired),{{Cite web |url=http://rajsaday.com/?p=1950 |title=Lives Less Forgotten: Basanta Kumar De |access-date=21 August 2017 |archive-date=29 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029154559/http://rajsaday.com/%3Fp%3D1950 |url-status=dead }} of the BNR, who was the family nominee on the board of the trust and Shri Subimal Ray, Bar-at-law, formerly Judge of the Supreme Court of India, who was the legal adviser to the trust. Dutt's son, Birendrasaday Dutt, Esq.,{{Cite web |url=http://rajsaday.com/?p=83 |title=Lives Less Forgotten: Birendrasaday Dutt |access-date=21 August 2017 |archive-date=29 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029154554/http://rajsaday.com/%3Fp%3D83 |url-status=dead }} formerly of the Burma Shell, was also closely involved in the management of these artifacts. Based on the recommendations made by the two members of the trust and his son, the Bengal Bratachari Society founded the museum. Later, these artifacts were shifted to the newly established museum built in Joka, Kolkata. The museum building was formally opened in the presence of the then-chief minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Ray in 1961 and the galleries were opened in the presence of the education minister of India, Professor Humayun Kabir in 1963.

The museum was administered by Dutt's daughter-in-law, Aroti Dutt, who was its long-time chairperson. The historian, Barun De, was a family nominee on the board of the museum for several years.{{Cite web |url=http://rajsaday.com/?p=1958 |title=Lives Less Forgotten: Barun De |access-date=23 August 2017 |archive-date=29 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029154558/http://rajsaday.com/?p=1958 |url-status=dead }} The museum is an autonomous body, which has been under the guidance of the Ministry of Textiles of the Government of India since 1984.

Its collection includes archaeological objects, deities, manuscripts, masks, musical instruments, paintings, textiles and woodwork.{{Cite web |url=http://www.gurusadaymuseum.org/collection.htm |title=Collections of the Gurusaday Museum |access-date=11 April 2013 |archive-date=31 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031191648/http://www.gurusadaymuseum.org/collection.htm |url-status=dead }}{{Cite book |last=Ghosh |first=Pika |title=Making Kantha, Making Home: Women at Work in Colonial Bengal |publisher=The University of Washington Press |year=2020 |isbn=9780295746999 |location=Seattle}}

In 2017, the central government stopped funding for the Gurusaday Museum and since then the museum had resorted to crowd-funding in order to sustain itself.{{Cite news |last=Basu |first=Anasuya |date=February 23, 2020 |title=Centre's plan to shift artefacts from Gurusaday Museum to the Indian Museum |work=The Telegraph India Online |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/centre-s-plan-to-shift-artefacts-from-gurusaday-museum-to-the-indian-museum/cid/1748001}}{{Cite news |last=Basu |first=Anasuya |date=January 15, 2018 |title=Folk museum faces closure |work=The Telegraph India Online |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/folk-museum-faces-closure/cid/1408467}}{{Cite news |last=Bhattacharya |first=Snigdhendu |date=April 18, 2019 |title=World Heritage Day: Only museum of Bengal’s cultural history looks to crowdfunding for survival |work=Hindustan Times |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/kolkata/world-heritage-day-only-museum-of-bengal-s-cultural-history-looks-to-crowdfunding-for-survival/story-h23qaIJm5w1y694jngG2wJ.html}}{{Cite news |last=Dutta Majumdar |first=Arkamoy |date=April 21, 2018 |title=Will the curtain fall on Gurusaday Museum? |work=Livemint |url=https://lifestyle.livemint.com/news/talking-point/will-the-curtain-fall-on-gurusaday-museum-111645378888680.html}} The central government proposed to transfer all the artefacts present in the Gurusaday Museum to the Indian Museum. This decision which may have been taken independently of the staff at Gurusaday Museum was met with widespread criticism.{{Cite news |last=Mukherjee |first=Sujaan |date=February 16, 2018 |title=If this rare Kolkata museum shuts down, Bengal will lose a part of its soul |work=Scroll.in |url=https://scroll.in/magazine/868443/if-this-rare-kolkata-museum-shuts-down-bengal-will-lose-a-part-of-its-soul}}{{Cite news |last=Sen |first=Indrajit |date=March 3, 2018 |title=Bengali diaspora laments close down of Gurusaday Museum |work=Get Bengal |url=https://www.getbengal.com/details/bengali-diaspora-laments-close-down-of-gurusaday-museum}}{{Cite news |date=May 18, 2020 |title=Kolkata's Gurusaday Museum seeks financial support from Centre |work=ANI News |url=https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/kolkatas-gurusaday-museum-seeks-financial-support-from-centre20200518112904/}} As of December 2022, the museum has been temporarily closed to visitors.{{Cite news |date=October 20, 2022 |title=Gurusaday Museum shut down: “A National Treasure of Indian Heritage” and unique collection of Dokra Metal craft – West Bengal |work=Tribal Cultural Heritage in India |url=https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=36733#gsc.tab=0}}

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• {{Official website|http://www.gurusadaymuseum.org}}

Category:Museums in Kolkata

Category:Indian handicrafts

Category:Folk art museums and galleries

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