The Odisha State Museum complex in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar, Sept. 20: Bad planning and poor space management have stunted the growth of Odisha State Museum.

The proposed modern art gallery, for which the administrative block of the museum annexe was vacated in 2010, is yet to come up and a number of artefacts are lying unattended for lack of display space.

A senior museum official said administrative blocks of museums across the world are situated outside the main complex, or they at least have a different entrance to stop the entry of people other than visitors to the facility. Also, an NGO-supported conservation institute functioning inside the museum remains open on Monday, a holiday for museum employees.

“The entry of people into the museum on Monday could be a security threat,” said the official.

About the proposal to set up a modern art gallery in the vacant annexe, museum officials now claim that the rooms are small and have too many pillars. Art galleries ideally require spacious halls with few pillars.

Culture director Sushil Kumar Das, who is looking after the museum in the absence of a regular superintendent, said: “The modern art gallery project was to be executed by the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation. But they made no progress. We have now approached the Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation for the work now and deposited Rs 1 crore with them for the project.”

Intach Conservation Institute functions from an area of nearly 4,000sqft in the golden jubilee complex of the museum. The operational cost of the institute is borne by the museum.

Institute director Mallika Mitra said: “We have been operating from the administrative block since 1995. When the entire building was being vacated to set up a modern art gallery, we were asked to move inside the museum compound.”

Intach Bhubaneswar chapter advisor S.K.B. Narayan said: “If the museum faces problem due to the institute, the state government can allot an independent building to it.”

The old administrative block of the museum that was vacated in 2010 to convert it into a modern art gallery. The building now lies in neglect. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

A museum official said while space management had become an issue at the museum, the authorities had failed to develop five new galleries including the one on modern art.

The replica of Bikramkhol rock art, which is proof of the early Odia literary tradition, is now lying completely broken.

“While the replica played a role in strengthening the case for granting classical language status to Odia, there is no effort to restore the artefact made in 1962-63,” said a curator.

The state museum has prized possessions such as the personal belongings of Utkal Gourav Madhusudan Das, Utkalmani Gopabandhu and Kabichandra Kalicharan Patnaik. Sadly, several turbans and a rifle of Madhubabu, apart from many original manuscripts of the Kabichandra are gathering dust in the storeroom.

“We should display these items in new galleries. They may get damaged if they remain in the storeroom,” said another curator.

The culture director said the process of setting up more galleries had been set rolling.

ACRE STORY

• Total built up area of Odisha State Museum: 1.12lakh sqft
• Old museum building: 50944sqft
• New building (golden jubilee complex): 47928sqft
• Old administrative block, which will house proposed modern art gallery: 13527sqft
• Portion of new building in use by administrative staff: Nearly 4500sqft
• Portion of new building occupied by conservation institute: Nearly 4000sqft

GALLERY SHOW

• Total no. of artefacts at State Museum: 56375
• Artefacts on display at 10 galleries: 55485
• Exhibits lying in storerooms: 890