the goan I network
PANAJI
The State museum at Patto, Panaji may have gotten a pretty looking façade since its first days back in 1977, but the interiors today are anything but a sign of good days for museums.
The State museum spent only Rs 179.57 lakh on its planned and non-planned work for the year 2015-16. Despite the allocation, museum officials say the money isn’t enough.
Monsoons revealed leaky roofs and dangerous conditions for the artifacts. Parts of the cardboard covering electrical wires have been removed to give way to huge gaping holes for fear that the leaking water may cause more damage than required.
Several artifacts, according to those working at the museum, have had to be kept under lock and key for fear of the bad condition of the building harming them. “We would like to display all the items that are historically relevant, but we are fearful of having it damaged or destroyed,” said one employee.
Speaking to The Goan, director of the museum, Radha Bhave confirmed that important artifacts were in fact kept away from the display area. “Monsoons are a troublesome time and we have kept some artifacts out from display. The museum however is still kept open for the public. We require a lot of money to repair the entire structure and it can’t be done in parts. We are still hoping that the shift to the Old GMC will be better,” she said.
Despite its inability to take care of the State museum, the govt plans to change the Aguada jail into a historical and heritage centre (read museum) at a cost of Rs. 25.8 crore.
Architect Gerard da Cunha, who has worked on the Reis Magos Fort restoration, says it’s a bad idea.
“It will be a much better idea to treat Central Jail, Aguada as an adaptive reuse project than to convert it into a museum,” he said.
Founder and curator of Benaulim based Goa Chitra Victor Hugo Gomes agrees that another museum is a bad idea too as the concept of a museum is not properly understood.
“A museum is not a structure but needs to have a collection based on study and research.
