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Maharaja Duleep Singh Memorial at Bassian sees few visitors

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The Maharaja Duleep Singh Memorial, on which the Punjab government spent Rs 5 crore, is struggling to pay its electricity dues just eight months after its high-profile inauguration by Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal. It has also just about scraped up enough to pay its 10 employees three months backwages owed to them.

The memorial, meant to showcase the life and tragic story of the last Sikh ruler of Punjab, is a heritage building set in 8 acres of land known as Bassian Kothi in Raikot, Ludhiana. The 200-year-old building was where the British kept Duleep Singh, the youngest son of Maharaja Ranjit Singh captive in 1849 after annexing Punjab, before exiling him. He was eventually shipped off to England, where he lived for the rest of his life. The Punjab government hired INTACH to restore the building for a sum of Rs 5 crore.

In order to earn its keep, the museum management is now letting out the grounds of the historical mansion for pre-wedding photo and video shoots. It has also started charging a small entrance fee to the museum from the beginning of February.
SDM Raikot Harpreet Singh, who confirmed the outstanding electricity bill, said a musuem management committee had been set up recently to resolve the financial woes of the musuem.“A six- member Maharaja Duleep Singh Management committee has been formed recently to sort out fund-related issues. The deputy commissioner is the chairman and I am also a member. We have sorted out the pending salaries issue of employees and power bills will also be dealt soon as now onwards, the committee will be getting funds for running expenses of museum on a regular basis,” the SDM said.

The Rs 3 lakh towards the salaries of the employess for three months is the only money that the government has given to the museum after its glitzy opening. The salaries were earlier being managed through voluntary donations.The museum footfall has been lower than expected. Parminder Singh Jatpuri, general secretary of the Maharaja Duleep Singh Trust, said weekdays see only 50-60 visitors daily, while during weekends, the numbers goes up to 150. “To generate money for regular maintenance, we introduced Rs 5 as entry fee from February 1. On the first day, 68 visitors came and we earned Rs 340 as ticket fee. Such steps are to self-sustain the museum for daily expenses,”he added. Dashing hopes that the museum would generate interest in Sikh history, not a single school or college of Ludhiana district has visited this museum. “Before the release [by government] of Rs 3 lakh as salary and other expenses, we had already spent over Rs 7 lakh from voluntary donations to maintain this huge place and even to make a library. We also organised a play on December 31, to remember the day as the Maharaja had spent his last night in Punjab on this day at this place. We have made a documentary of this play. It can be shown in the amphitheatre, but as of now it has not been put to any use because of limited visitors and even non-availability of any documentary”.

The memorial charges Rs 500 for photo-shoots, Rs 1,100 for videography, and Rs 2,100 for Punjabi music shoots, all outside the museum. Photography is not allowed inside the museum.“So far, over 50 video and photo shoots have taken place while one Punjabi song shooting has also taken place. We have earned over Rs 39,000 which has been used in maintenance,” Jatpuri said.The trust also plans to start organic farming on part of the land, as well as set up a herbal garden. In addition to this, said SDM Harpreet Singh, there have also been discussions on starting other tourist attractions such as a toy train and putting up a play area with swings, to increase the footfall.

“We are making all efforts to make this museum popular including ensuring publicity on social media. I will, however, be asking the district education officer (DEO) to write to all schools, government and private, about the history of this place so that they can get their students here. We organised a play on December 31 and many efforts are on cards to increase the number of visitors at this heritage place,” said Harpreet Singh

Apart from paintings on Duleep Singh’s life in Punjab, UK, Paris and Kolkata, where he was reunited with his mother Rani Jind Kaur in 1860, the museum also contains a replica of Ranjit Singh’s Golden Throne, and of the Kohinoor set between two diamonds worn by Maharaja Ranjit Singh on his armlet – Duleep Singh had to surrender the diamond to Queen Victoria – among its exhibits. The original Golden Throne is in the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, while the Kohinoor is part of the Crown Jewels exhibit at the Tower of London.

“We will write to Home Ministry to make efforts for bringing back ashes of Maharaja from Elveden Hall, England, as he was the last Sikh ruler of Punjab. This is an effort on behalf of trust,” said Jatpuri.INTACH, which carrid out the restoration work from 2011- 2015, is expected to finish some pending work at the memorial including relocation of toilets and additions to the open air theatre on the premises. “We spoke with INTACH and they are coming to the site after February 15 to complete the pending work. A changing room for artists and even for pre-wedding photo and video shoots is the biggest requirement. So far the bathrooms are acting as changing rooms while we also have constructed a temporary changing room near the canteen,” Jatpuri said.

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