National Archives of India- Exhibition woes 2018

According to website of The National Archives of India, it is the" custodian of the records of enduring value of the Government of India. Established on 11 March 1891 at Calcutta (Kolkata) as the Imperial Records Department, the National Archives of India is the custodian of the records of enduring value. It is the biggest archival repository in South Asia...".

An exhibition entitled ‘Prathibandhit Sahitya mein Swatantrata Sangram’ (Freedom Movement through Proscribed Literature) is being held at National Archives of India in Delhi.

The overwhelming focus of this exhibition is poems related to Mahatma Gandhi that were proscribed during 1930s. Sadly, proscribed literature related to other revolutionaries like Subhas Chandra Bose, Madame Cama has been totally ignored. Thousands of newspapers were proscribed during British Raj. However, this exhibition has totally ignored these newspapers and only concentrated on poetry that was proscribed. The lone cartoon displayed did not contain any reference of its source.

It was publicized that this exhibition will end on 9 September 2018. However, when team member of SARCAJC visited exhibition (after 9th Sept), was told by organizers that duration of exhibition has been extended. Further-  National Archives will not be putting up any new exhibition on 2nd October 2018- the date & year that signifies 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. True, majority of the display (in two small rooms) is related to Mahatma Gandhi, medium- poems but why not hold a separate full length exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi in its main exhibition hall too, starting on 2nd October 2018? More to come -National Archives of India has no intention of holding any exhibition on 21st October 2018- the date & year signifies 75 years of Azad Hind Government. Did you ask, yeah National Archives of India has a full length exhibition department running on tax payer’s money!

Moreover, National Archives has not informed mainstreet regarding extension of present exhibition. Even according to facebook post of National Archives of India dated 17 August 2018 mentions-“ Dear Friends, National Archives of India has Organised an archival exhibition on the proscribed literature available in its holdings. This exhibition was inaugurated by Dr Mahesh Sharma,Hon'ble Culture Minister .This will be open for public viewing till 9 September 2018 on working days”. There are no updates after this post regarding this exhibition.

Friend of SARCAJC has pointed out that National Archives and put up a similar exhibition way back during 13-19 December 1999. Look at the publicity paper handed to visitors- then.

A book focusing on proscribed poems was published by National Archives- years back. 

Now, National Archives has concentrated only on proscribed poems, nothing new.

 No wonder, there is hardly any visitor rush.

SARCAJC

SOUTH ASIAN RESEARCH CENTRE FOR ADVERTISEMENT, JOURNALISM & CARTOONS

Sarcajc Research in Journalism Advertisement & Cartoon