Being inspired by the heroic deeds Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a lawyer has been collecting rare photographs of the freedom fighter for more than three and a half decades, and has turned his home in a dusty lane of this town into a private mini museum.
Among the items on display in his museum are the last and rare photo of Netaji in India before he left to Afganisthan.
Besides, it comprises a photo of Netaji’s elder brother, Sarat Chandra Bose, and his mother, Pravabati Bose, sitting near him while he was sick after coming from jail. The photo was taken on December 5, 1940.
He also possessed a photo of Netaji coming out of the Cellular jail in the Andamans with the Japanese Rear Admiral and Azad Hind Government officials.
A photograph of Netaji broadcasting to India from Tokiyo and another, Raj Bihari Bose handing over INA presidentship to Netaji have also taken pride of place in the collection of the 58-year-old man at Badahaat area.
Mustaque has also obtained an old photograph of Netaji with the family members of Ashok Banerjee of Cuttack.
The gazette notification of Bihar and Odisha of 1913 where it was mentioned that Subash Chandra Bose passed entrance examination in 1913 is there with Mustaque.
Even, a handwritten letter of Captain Laxmi Saigal of the Indian National Army (INA), an original copy of ''Forward'', a magazine published by the freedom fighter, are part of the collection.
Mustaque owned two rare coins that the Government minted to observe the centenary of the Subash Bose. The centenary of Bose was observed in 1997 and the Government minted coins in 1997 displaying the photos of Bose. But inadvertently, in some coins the centenary year was wrongly mentioned as 1996 and Mustaque has displayed three mint error coins in his museum.
"It was quite a difficult task to collect the photographs. I had to part with my hard-earned money. But a glimpse at the frozen frames in black and white stirs patriotic fervour in me. I feel my labour was worth it," said Mustaque.