Calcutta: The Bengal Bratachari Society, which founded Gurusaday Museum in Joka that faces an uncertain future because of a funds crunch, has approached companies to keep the institution going.

The museum, which houses the largest collection of kantha, ran into financial difficulties after the Centre decided to revoke its financial aid post-November 2017.

"We are exploring opportunities with Techno India and the Jindal Group to run the museum as a joint enterprise as part of their CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities. We have been exploring all avenues to keep the museum going since the central government refused to fund salaries of the staff, which amounts to Rs 45-50 lakh a year," said Kamalesh Chatterjee, a member of the Bengal Bratachari Society's board of trustees.

Techno India, which runs Sister Nivedita University, has a museology department. "It is mandatory for a museology department to have a museum to train students," Chatterjee said.

Talks with both Techno India and the Jindal Group, which runs Haryana University, are in a preliminary stage.

The museum has recently started receiving the final tranche of funds from the Centre, which will be spent on clearing the salary dues of the staff from April to November 2017. A letter issued on May 2 stated that the office of the development commissioner (textiles) had sanctioned Rs 32.43 lakh for Gurusaday Dutta Folk Art Society, which manages the museum.

The government has already released Rs 25 lakh. The rest will be disbursed once the museum submits the utilisation certificate for the first instalment.

"In the same letter, the government has let us know that there will be no more funds," said Bijan Kumar Mandal, curator of Gurusaday Museum.

The five trustees the Bengal Bratachari Society - including former judge Shyamal Sen, the president of the trust - have called on governor Keshari Nath Tripathy and apprised him of the problems the museum has been facing.

"We have apprised him of the situation. He is very sympathetic to our cause. But we are yet to see any results," said board member Chatterjee.

The trustees have also met mayor Sovan Chatterjee, in whose constituency the museum is located.

"The museum used to receive funds from the textile ministry following an agreement between the President of India and the Bengal Bratachari Society in 1994. Nowhere in the agreement is there a clause that empowers the Centre to revoke the aid," Chatterjee said.

The office of the development commissioner (textiles) had written to Gurusaday Folk Arts Society on November 29, 2017: "Over a period of more than 32 years this office has been providing financial assistance towards staff salaries for the employees in the Gurusaday Museum. This office... had informed that (the museum) must explore a more sustainable revenue model as the government cannot support indefinitely."

Gurusaday Dutt, a civil servant in British India, had spent his life collecting art objects from all corners of undivided Bengal - Kalighat paintings, patuas' scrolls, kanthas, terracotta panels, stone sculptures, wooden carvings, dolls and toys. Between 1929 and 1939, he had collected 2,325 art objects.

The museum, founded in 1961, houses Dutt's collection.

Dutt's grandson Devsaday Dutt has suggested that the museum generate its resources. "There used to be a library in the museum with books on Greek art, western art and women art. The library should be thrown open to students. Workshops for patuas and kantha workers could be held to keep alive the tradition," Dutt said.