Jabalpur: The Madhya Pradesh state government inaugurated the first-ever museum dedicated to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Jabalpur on his 125th birth anniversary on January 23, 2022. Interestingly, the museum is built inside the Subhash ward of Jabalpur Central Jail, which was not open for public access until now.
The museum has been built amid the four walls of the cell where Netaji spent his days during India's freedom struggle. The ward no.3 of the jail, which was his cell throughout his time in prison, has been renovated, refurbished, and transformed into a small yet historically important museum. What adds even more value to this one-of-a-kind museum are the minds and artists at work behind its making. The prisoners at the Central jail themselves have acted in various roles to execute the successful construction of this museum. Some of them did the work of engineers, some others acted as carpenters and painters, even the gardeners for the gardens around the museum were among these prisoners.
The Madhya Pradesh state government had decided to dedicate the museum to the leader to honor him on the eve of his 126th birth anniversary. The declaration was also welcomed by the prisoners who showed much enthusiasm for the renovation of Bose's cell into a museum.
Jabalpur Central Jail Superintendent Akhilesh Tomar told ETV Bharat that unlike before, the cell will now remain open for viewing for the common masses at any time of the year. "The ward where Netaji was confined has now been given the form of a museum. Earlier, people could visit it only on special occasions, but now people will be able to visit it whenever they want. It will be opened primarily on Sundays and Saturdays only till the security parameters are met," he said.
Tomar further informed that the museum will open in two shifts in the morning and evening, in which common people will be able to observe various historical artefacts exhibited at the museum. The artefacts include several of his belongings before he was put into prison, in addition to his warrant, his uniform, the shackles with which he was kept tied, among several other things.
