The branch of the kadam tree at the state museum in Hotwar, Ranchi, on Friday. Picture by Hardeep Singh

A branch of a tree, a poignant 155-year-old reminder of a patriot, is now on display at the state museum in Hotwar, Ranchi.

In 1857, the patriotic uprising that gripped the country from Jhansi to Bengal fired the imagination of the ruler of a small Chotanagpur princely state. Jharkhand’s royal revolutionary Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo led a small army against the British. He was caught and hanged ignominiously on April 16, 1857 by the colonisers. The kadam tree, Neolamarckia cadamba, from the branch of which he was hanged, became a symbol of nationalism for the entire region.

Since the past 47 years, the 6ft branch had been preserved at the Tribal Research Institute campus, Morabadi. Now, since January 2012, it has had a change of address. The branch is the main crowd-puller at the Hotwar state museum’s ethnology gallery.

“The gallery is about the celebration of tribal life and culture so that young people feel proud of their legacy,” museum curator Md Sarafuddin said. “It is a treasure trove. For instance, the 6ft branch of the Kadam tree from which revolutionary Thakur Vishwanath Shahdeo was hanged is with us. People say they get goose bumps on seeing the branch. It reminds them of the sacrifices of freedom fighters in a very real sense,” he said.

Visitor Vinod Kumar agreed. “We used to hear about this tree since childhood, where Shahdeoji was hanged, but now we can see it. It is absolutely inspiring.”

Soma Munda, Tribal Research Institute assistant director, elaborated on the branch. “Initially, this historical branch was preserved in Patna museum. The kadam tree is dead. It stood on the spot of what is now the Shaheed Chowk near Zilla School, Ranchi. The branch has stayed on for posterity,” Munda said.

Another exhibit that caught the eye was a model of Birhor Kumba, a makeshift dwelling of the Birhor tribes, made with lahu leaves found in forests.

“Birhor tribesmen were hunters. They did not have permanent dwellings. So they collected lahu leaves to set up makeshift shelters from the elements,” said Sarafuddin.

The lifestyles of other tribes such as the Paharia, Korwa, Munda and Asur were also vividly showcased. “We have models of tribesmen and women, shown engaged in their daily household chores or working with primitive tools,” the curator said, adding that not much had changed for the indigenous people in all these years.

Earlier, the gallery was only a repository of traditional tribal musical instruments such as dhol, nagada or mandar as well as typical utensils such as the paila, an earthen pot to store rice grains.

“With each passing day, we are trying to enrich this museum. At present, there are more than 50 artefacts,” Sarafuddin said.

The museum has 10 galleries on 40,000sqft area, library and auditorium facilities. It is also a cultural hub for contemporary and folk artistes and scholars.

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