When a pot containing centuries-old gold and silver coins were unearthed in his crop fields at Santoshpur village of Kosagumuda block, the poor tribal farmer Kudadev Bhatra never knew that these rare objects would find their way to the State Museum in Bhubaneswar, more than 600 km away from his little known habitat after 11 years.
Thanks to the drive of the then Collector of Nabarangpur district and present Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Culture & Tourism Department Arabinda Kumar Padhee, 50 silver coins and five gold coins “believed to be of Mughul Era” were displayed in the State Museum on the occasion of the International Museum Day on Sunday.
The State Government would prepare a Vision-2020 Plan for the State Museum to modernise the facility to attract more and more visitors, said Padhee. Major capacity building is on the cards with a detailed strategy for the purpose being worked out, he said.
The plan includes use of ICT, audio guides and other new facilities to help the visitors, who are interested to connect with the cultural heritage of the State.
On the day, Dr Padhee inaugurated two new galleries dedicated to Odisha Textures and Patta Chitra paintings and a conservation gallery to protect and conserve the rare objects of cultural, historical and artistic significance.
He said that in terms of capacity building, the curators would be sent to foreign countries to learn modern techniques and adapt them to the modern technologies being used in other developed countries. A few more galleries would be opened to accommodate the Freedom Movement, Tribal Odisha Trail and Rath Yatra for the benefit of visitors, sources said.
“Museum Collections make Connections” was the theme of the International Museum Day, which was aptly seen among the visitors, who turned out in good numbers, said Director Culture Sushil Das.