Alipore jail museum

Alipore Museum in Kolkata was earlier a central jail. I was apprehensive about visiting it as jails have a perception of being dreaded institutions. On top of it, they are known to be very dirty. It turned out to be a memorable visit and I intend to go there again. This museum seemed to exude a sense of pride. It is actually a very well-maintained museum. People also call it the Independence museum or Alipore Jail Museum. The pictures of this museum on its website are old and give a dismal view. It is located close to the famous Kali temple and is easily accessible by road. The Alipore museum highlights its rich history because of its strong links to the long Indian Independence struggle against the British. There are cells named after freedom fighters like Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru and others who inhabited them. It tells the stories of revolutionaries and particularly focuses on the role of the Bengal presidency in the Indian Independence movement. My biggest learning at Alipore Museum was the fact that sanyasis and fakirs too fought for an Independent India. It is hard to comprehend the strength of those who could have led a comfortable life but chose a life that entailed torture. They gave up their lives in the hope of creating a world free from authoritarianism in their motherland. History of Alipore Museum This facility came up as a Central Prison under By the end of the tour, I was curious to know how independent India treated its prisoners in ...

• The best way to get from Howrah Station to The Alipore Independence Museum without a car is to line 6 bus which takes 24 min and costs Rs.23 - Rs.35. How long does it take to get from Howrah Station to Alipore Independence Museum. The line 6 bus from Howrah Station to Chowranghee Road takes 12 min including transfers and departs every 10 minutes. • The best way to get from Kolkata Airport (CCU) to Alipore Independence Museum without a car is to line 154 bus and Metro which takes 50 min and costs Rs.45 - Rs.65. Notice If Light & Sound show can not be started in time or disrupted in midway due to rain, storm or other natural calamity, authority will wait for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes if situation does not improve show will be cancelled. However, viewers will be allowed to watch the show another day within one month (except Saturday and Sunday) on production of token issued by the authority. However, he should confirm availability of seats over telephone on previous day.

KOLKATA: Chief minister "We have to think afresh. Why the new concept is coming? Why the new mission is coming? What is the concept? The aim is to change the real world, to change historical incidents. To change geography, history, science, and everything for political purpose, so that our new generation may not know the truth of the country and the freedom struggle," said chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee added that the Alipore Jail Museum can be a popular tourist spot and will be pitched in as a World Heritage site. "In assembly too we are doing it for Netaji. All Netaji-related files had been digitized and are now open for the public," she said. Banerjee added that there might be conflicts among leaders based on ideology but there should not be any dispute on showering honour. "Who is a good leader? - one who can lead people irrespective of caste, creed and religion," she added. The museum has been conceptualized to help the future generation learn about the history of Indian freedom movement and witness the heritage place. "Numerous people were involved in the freedom movement from Netaji, Jawaharal Nehru, Rishi Aurobindo, CR Das, Jatindra Mohan Sengupta and Dr BC Roy and all their cells in Alipore jail have been curated properly. Even the women freedom fighters had been given their due honour." She added, "The gallows where freedom fighters like Dinesh Gupta, Kanailal Dutta, Satyendra Nath Basu, Pramod Ranjan Choudhury, Dinesh Majumdar were hanged has been put ...

Kolkata: The historic Alipore Jail in Kolkata, where many revolutionaries including Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and Jawaharlal Nehru were imprisoned during India's freedom struggle, has been turned into museum to celebrate the country's 75 years of Independence. The museum, which brings to life notable moments from the freedom struggle linked to the prison and the revolutionaries who were lodged there, was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday. Besides Netaji and Nehru, Aurobindo Ghosh, 'Deshbandhu' Chittaranjan Das, Kanailal Datta, Dinesh Gupta, and Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, the first Chief Minister of West Bengal, were among those who were imprisoned in the jail. Former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, then a young Indira Priyadarshini Nehru, had visited the jail to see her father during the freedom struggle. The prison cells that hosted Netaji, Nehru, and CR Das are part of the exhibition at the museum. A key attraction is a light and sound show that narrates incidents that took place inside the jail during the freedom struggle. The gallows, where revolutionaries like Kanailal Datta were hanged, is also on display. The British-era Alipore Jail was closed in 2019 and the inmates were shifted to another correctional facility in Baruipur near Kolkata. The state government then decided to turn it into a museum and throw it open to the public. Chief Minister Banerjee, speaking at the inaugural event, underlined the need to preserve the history related to the cou...

A view of Alipore Museum, after it was inaugurated by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in Kolkata on September 21, 2022. | Photo Credit: PTI Alipore Correctional Home, now Alipore Museum, is a historic place where national icons like the country’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Rishi Aurobindo and Bidhan Chandra Roy were interned and scores of freedom fighters went to the gallows. The Chief Minister said that the cells were the freedom fighters were kept have been preserved alongside the plank where the freedom fighters went to gallows. Among those who went to the gallows at the correctional home, which was built in 1906 and spread over 15.5 acres, are Dinesh Gupta, Pramod Ranjan Chowdhury, Anant Hari Mitra and Dinesh Majumdar. In 2019, the West Bengal government transferred the inmates from the correctional home to Baruipur in South 24 Parganas to restore the place, which is located in the heart of the city. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee innaugurated a musuem at Kolkata’s historic Alipore Jail on September 21, 2022. | Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI The Chief Minister expressed hope in the museum turning out to be “heritage spot” and an important tourism destination. To this end, the State government has set up a coffee house, restaurant and a food kiosk there. Experts said that five buildings of the prison have been restored and the museum has started its journey from the restored buildings. Cells where prominent freedom ...

The paintings of 23 artists, including Jogen Chowdhury and Shuvaprasanna, are on display at an exhibition ‘Freedom and Awakening’ on the premises of Alipore Jail Museum in south Kolkata. The artworks, which include “Bharatmata” by Abanindranath Tagore, are on display at the gallery, converted from a prison cell. A spokesperson of Speaking at a panel discussion on Monday, painter Shuvaprasanna said, “The extraordinary unity amidst the vast diversity of religion, language and culture and the wonderful trait of welcoming everyone as our own shows the way of inclusivity to the world. The country, that is home to Buddha, Guru Nanak, Sri Chaitanya, Kabir, Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, without a doubt will win the world through the path of peace and harmony. The exhibition is themed on that spirit.” He said the role of an artist is to awaken the soul of an individual, as a creative person has the vision and social awareness to do so. ALSO READ | “Happy that our artworks are finding pride of place at a historic place like Alipore Correctional Home, which is an integral part of our freedom movement,” Shuvaprasanna told PTI. The Alipore Jail Museum area consists of gallows, a watch tower, special cells, general cells, a library, a seminar hall, a light and sound show and exhibitions (one in Cell 5 and another in the Hospital Building). “We will be happy if more people turn up, see the artworks along with other rooms, which are the repository of documents and articles associ...