Museum plagued by litany of problems, authorities seemingly indifferent
Independence Museum Dhaka Tribune
Fahim Reza Shovon
Publish : 17 Dec 2021, 12:11 AMUpdate : 05 Jan 2022, 11:00 AM
Suhrawardy Udyan is witness to many historical events, including the most important one in the country’s history – Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declaring his firm conviction to achieve independence before a million-strong crowd on March 7, 1971.
After a nine-month struggle against the Pakistani forces, the document of surrender was signed by one of the powerful armies in the world at Suhrawardy Udyan, then called Race Course Ground, 50 years ago on December 16.
In this context, setting up a monument of independence and also the Museum of Independence was an important move.
Buet graduates and former couple (they parted ways in 2005) Marina Tabassum and Kashef Mahbub Chowdhury’s design for the monument and the museum at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan won the design competition launched by the Public Works Department (PDW) in 1997.
Construction work commenced on June 29, 1998 and took almost 16 years to reach completion. At a cost of Tk175 crore, the construction ended on June 30, 2014, according to then cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor.
The Museum of Independence, situated beneath the Shadhinota Stombho (Independence Monument) at the historic Suhrawardy Uddyan, was finally opened to the public on Independence Day in 2015.
Unfortunately, citizens do not know much about this underground museum due to a lack of publicity. Most of its current visitors only come to know about it after visiting Suhrawardy Udyan.
During a recent visit there, this correspondent initially saw only two visitors inside the museum under its 5,699sqm roof. Later, a few more people came to take shelter inside the museum as it was raining outside.
Independence Museum Dhaka Tribune
One of them, Muhammad Iqbal Ali, said he had come to Dhaka from Homna upazila of Comilla for some personal work at Ramna.
Afterwards, he made his way to Suhrawardy Udyan and unexpectedly found the museum.
There were some people who knew about the museum but did not want to go there due to the “unfriendly” environment at Suhrawardy Udyan, said a museum staffer.
Few visitors, central AC nonfunctioning, only three fans
Ever since the inauguration of the museum, visitors have complained of inadequate lighting there.
In 2016, ticket salesperson Ayub Ali told the media that over 1,000 people would visit the museum on Fridays and some 300 on other days.
At present, the highest number of visitors the museum gets on Fridays is 200 and on weekdays it hardly reaches 50, according to another ticket salesperson.
On condition of anonymity, he told Dhaka Tribune that visitors’ attendance was low as people felt suffocated due to the central air conditioning being down.
This correspondent also found that the large museum only had three pedestal fans for air circulation.
Some of the multimedia projectors there have also remained nonfunctional for 1.5 years.
The water supply in the washrooms was also irregular, said another employee.
The problems had only worsened following the reopening of the museum after the initial period of the pandemic, he added.
Officials of the National Museum and the Cultural Affairs Ministry were aware of the issues but they had yet to resolve them, he said, wishing to remain unnamed.
Khondoker Mostafizur Rahman, director general of the National Museum, said the PWD had set up the central AC and it had been notified. The AC would be fixed soon, he assured.
The museum remains closed on Thursdays and on government holidays. It is supposed to remain open from 10:30am to 5:30pm from Saturday to Wednesday and from 3pm to 8pm on Friday.
However, Dhaka Tribune found the museum shut at around 6:15pm on December 3, which was a Friday.
Independence Museum Dhaka TribuneAttempting an explanation, a museum employee claimed that there were hardly any people in the area that late as the Suhrawardy Udyan authorities carried out raids every day to compel people to leave its premises before evening set in.
Meanwhile, the on-duty Ansar members at Suhrawardy Udyan said the museum closed before 5:30pm every day.
When asked about the issue, National Museum Director General Rahman said one had to consider the threat of Covid-19 in such cases.
Temporary staff
In 2016, 26 staff members started working at the museum for a daily wage of Tk475. A computer operator gets Tk500. They are only paid for the days they work -- they get no money on holidays.
Currently there are 16 staffers employed under such arrangements.
The workers have to bring in water from almost a kilometre away as the museum does not have a drinking water facility.
The National Museum director general, however, claimed that he did not know about the drinking water issue.
Inside the museum
The museum has 144 glass-framed photographs with captions to attract visitors.
Visitors are able to observe at a glance the remarkable events from the ancient geo-cultural history of the country to the period of independence through the achievement of victory in the Liberation War.
The first part of the museum showcases the origin of the Bangla language and Bengal, and various movements for independence.
The second part looks like a dark tunnel where scenes of the brutality committed by the Pakistani army during the Liberation War of 1971 are in black frames on the black walls.
A fountain called “tears flow” is in the middle of the museum, symbolizing the painful state of the struggle for rights. But it has remained inactive for many days.
The National Museum chief, however, said it was active as far as he knew.
The third part showcases the training and operation of and the international response to the freedom fighters. There are two photos of the Pakistani army’s surrender that took place at around 4:31pm on December 16, 1971.
There is also a symbolic wooden table where the surrender document was signed. The original table is displayed in the National Museum.
Independence Museum needs to be in spotlight
Suhrawardy Udyan is witness to many historical events, including the most important one in the country’s history – Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declaring his firm conviction to achieve independence before a million-strong crowd on March 7, 1971.
After a nine-month struggle against the Pakistani forces, the document of surrender was signed by one of the powerful armies in the world at Suhrawardy Udyan, then called Race Course Ground, 50 years ago on December 16.
In this context, setting up a monument of independence and also the Museum of Independence was an important move.
Buet graduates and former couple (they parted ways in 2005) Marina Tabassum and Kashef Mahbub Chowdhury’s design for the monument and the museum at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan won the design competition launched by the Public Works Department (PDW) in 1997.
Construction work commenced on June 29, 1998 and took almost 16 years to reach completion. At a cost of Tk175 crore, the construction ended on June 30, 2014, according to then cultural affairs minister Asaduzzaman Noor.
The Museum of Independence, situated beneath the Shadhinota Stombho (Independence Monument) at the historic Suhrawardy Uddyan, was finally opened to the public on Independence Day in 2015.
Unfortunately, citizens do not know much about this underground museum due to a lack of publicity. Most of its current visitors only come to know about it after visiting Suhrawardy Udyan.
During a recent visit there, this correspondent initially saw only two visitors inside the museum under its 5,699sqm roof. Later, a few more people came to take shelter inside the museum as it was raining outside.
One of them, Muhammad Iqbal Ali, said he had come to Dhaka from Homna upazila of Comilla for some personal work at Ramna.
Afterwards, he made his way to Suhrawardy Udyan and unexpectedly found the museum.
There were some people who knew about the museum but did not want to go there due to the “unfriendly” environment at Suhrawardy Udyan, said a museum staffer.
Few visitors, central AC nonfunctioning, only three fans
Ever since the inauguration of the museum, visitors have complained of inadequate lighting there.
In 2016, ticket salesperson Ayub Ali told the media that over 1,000 people would visit the museum on Fridays and some 300 on other days.
At present, the highest number of visitors the museum gets on Fridays is 200 and on weekdays it hardly reaches 50, according to another ticket salesperson.
On condition of anonymity, he told Dhaka Tribune that visitors’ attendance was low as people felt suffocated due to the central air conditioning being down.
This correspondent also found that the large museum only had three pedestal fans for air circulation.
Some of the multimedia projectors there have also remained nonfunctional for 1.5 years.
The water supply in the washrooms was also irregular, said another employee.
The problems had only worsened following the reopening of the museum after the initial period of the pandemic, he added.
Officials of the National Museum and the Cultural Affairs Ministry were aware of the issues but they had yet to resolve them, he said, wishing to remain unnamed.
Khondoker Mostafizur Rahman, director general of the National Museum, said the PWD had set up the central AC and it had been notified. The AC would be fixed soon, he assured.
The museum remains closed on Thursdays and on government holidays. It is supposed to remain open from 10:30am to 5:30pm from Saturday to Wednesday and from 3pm to 8pm on Friday.
However, Dhaka Tribune found the museum shut at around 6:15pm on December 3, which was a Friday.
Meanwhile, the on-duty Ansar members at Suhrawardy Udyan said the museum closed before 5:30pm every day.
When asked about the issue, National Museum Director General Rahman said one had to consider the threat of Covid-19 in such cases.
Temporary staff
In 2016, 26 staff members started working at the museum for a daily wage of Tk475. A computer operator gets Tk500. They are only paid for the days they work -- they get no money on holidays.
Currently there are 16 staffers employed under such arrangements.
The workers have to bring in water from almost a kilometre away as the museum does not have a drinking water facility.
The National Museum director general, however, claimed that he did not know about the drinking water issue.
Inside the museum
The museum has 144 glass-framed photographs with captions to attract visitors.
Visitors are able to observe at a glance the remarkable events from the ancient geo-cultural history of the country to the period of independence through the achievement of victory in the Liberation War.
The first part of the museum showcases the origin of the Bangla language and Bengal, and various movements for independence.
The second part looks like a dark tunnel where scenes of the brutality committed by the Pakistani army during the Liberation War of 1971 are in black frames on the black walls.
A fountain called “tears flow” is in the middle of the museum, symbolizing the painful state of the struggle for rights. But it has remained inactive for many days.
The National Museum chief, however, said it was active as far as he knew.
The third part showcases the training and operation of and the international response to the freedom fighters. There are two photos of the Pakistani army’s surrender that took place at around 4:31pm on December 16, 1971.
There is also a symbolic wooden table where the surrender document was signed. The original table is displayed in the National Museum.