Govt ropes in UNESCO for museums of tribal freedom fighters

The Centre has roped in UNESCO to help in firming up ideas for the proposed museums of freedom fighters from tribal communities. The ministry of tribal affairs held a two-day workshop starting Monday with senior officers of UNESCO and UNDP.

Among a host of recommendations, was the idea to leverage technology to showcase the life of these fighters in the venue as well as in an online museum. Recreating the areas as well as the lives of the freedom fighter visually was also one of the ideas mooted.

Sources said that a set of standard operating procedures is being drafted to help with the curation in these museums. Statues, photo exhibitions, and audio-visual content, are some of the other recommendations.

UNESCO officials also suggested that the museums should have both indoor and outdoor interfaces, and artisans from the region should be taken on board to recreate the freedom fighter’s region as well as their passing. Officials suggested that the theme of the museum should reflect the tribal culture, and the visitor should feel that they are in the same area.

In 2016, PM Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech at the Red Fort said that the government will build museums to commemorate the lives of unsung freedom fighters from the tribal community. Since then the tribal affairs ministry has sanctioned ten such museums. These include museums in Ranchi (Jharkhand), Tamenglong (Manipur), Kelsih (Mizoram), Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Rajpipla (Gujarat), Chhindwara (Madhya Pradesh), Lambasingi (Andhra Pradesh), Kozhikode (Kerala), Ponda (Goa) and Hyderabad (Telangana). The museum in Gujarat, in Narmada district is the biggest at a budget of Rs 137 crore.

In November last year, PM Modi inaugurated the Ranchi Museum dedicated to Birsa Munda, whose anniversary is celebrated as Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas. Days later, in the same month, home minister Amit Shah inaugurated the museum in Tamenglong dedicated to Naga freedom fighter Rani Gaindileu.

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