Politics, neglect asphyxiate museum

VADODARA, June 29: Holes are drilled into brass frames of artistic masterpieces and iron screws inserted to facilitate connection of wires, ...

VADODARA, June 29: Holes are drilled into brass frames of artistic masterpieces and iron screws inserted to facilitate connection of wires, with no thought to the fact a single rusty screw could destroy the entire frame. Elsewhere, ugly oval patches with wires jutting out mar the display cases.

An alarm system has been installed in the Baroda Museum and Picture Gallery, but the blatant presence of the supposedly high-tech device is enough to enough to arouse even the layman’s curiosity. If aesthetics do not get priority at the museum, neither does security.

Sad, but true. Governmental neglect, politics and inter-departmental wranglings are slowly but surely asphyxiating the Baroda Museum, a treasure trove of history and art. Virtually headless for more than two years now, the museum is at the mercy of officials who seem to be motivated more by their own interests than the institution’s.

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If fingers have to be pointed, they would first stop at the Youth and Cultural Affairs Ministry, which has been unable to find a suitable director for the museum, who would double up as the ex-officio head of the State Directorate of Museums, located in the same premises.

While Gujarat Administrative Service officer R Yagnik is acting as a stop-gap, museum officials pointed out that since he is also the Narmada collector, he can spare little time for the museum.

Moreover, alleged a senior official on condition of anonymity, the appointment of a bureaucrat had given a fillip to the administrative staff, and encouraged interference in technical affairs as well. Citing the instance of the security system, he said, “Normally, R Goswami, the curator, should be handling such aspects, but the entire operation here was handled by the administrative staff without even an okay from him”.

Yagnik, however, claimed that Goswami had been present at the meeting that decided on the installation and raised no objection to the proposal.

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A museum official, however, alleged that the acting head’s technical ignorance had led to loss of face for the museum. “Former Cultural Secretary Swantra Shekhon granted us Rs 18 lakh for the purchase of antiques. A purchase committee was formed, but without any technical heads. When the actual work came up, many panel members opted out as they did not have the necessary technical knowledge. The grant lapsed and no artefacts were bought.”

Yagnik, however, said that no purchases were made because the panel could not arrive at a decision. “As far as their selection is concerned, it was done by the government. And the government, obviously, would not choose anyone but an expert,” he added.

This sort of contradiction is symbolic of the covert war between the administrative and technical staff, allegedly over the appointment of a full-time director. A vernacular daily reported last week that a 3000-year-old mummy had been damaged, laying the blame at the door of the technical staff and the curator. Goswami, however, denied any damage, claiming that the report had been planted out of inter-departmental rivalry.

Incidentally, Goswami had been selected for the post of chief of the State Directorate of Museums after a GPSC interview. The appointment has been stalled in the wake of these charges.

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State museologists have been long seeking the relocation of the State Directorate of Museums or separate posts for the Directorate and the Baroda Museum. “At present, any Baroda Museum proposal is immediately nodded through by the Directorate as one man heads both offices. The same is the case with inspections. Who is to question if anything goes wrong at the Baroda Museum?” questioned a museologist.