Deshbandhu Museum to be renovated soon: Darjeeling District Magistrate

Deshbandhu Museum, the residence of freedom fighter Chittaranjan Das which was later converted into a museum will be renovated soon, Darjeeling District Magistrate said.

Darjeeling (West Bengal): The residence of freedom fighter Chittaranjan Das which was converted into a museum is to be renovated soon and will be open for tourists. The historic building where CR Das spent his last days has been neglected for long. With no power supply and water seeping through the roof, this museum needs an immediate facelift. The decision to renovate the museum was taken by Darjeeling District Magistrate S. Punnambalam after a thorough inspection.

Rita Sherpa, the caretaker of the museum, said, "This museum holds great historic significance, but no one pays attention to it. There has been no power supply to the museum since 2008. The walls of the complex are broken and damp. Water seeps through the roof during monsoons. This was the house where freedom fighter Chittaranjan Das spent his last days, but today there is no one to look after the museum."

After a thorough inspection of the museum, S. Punnambalam said, "The museum has been inspected by the North Bengal Development Department (NBDD). The repair and renovation work will begin soon."

Chittaranjan Das, popularly called Deshbandhu was an Indian freedom fighter and a political activist during the Indian Independence Movement. Das along with his family members used to visit this house occasionally. His family vacations were also spent in this house. During his family vacation in 1925, Deshbandhu fell ill and passed away on June 16.

Deshbandhu Memorial Society was formed in 1953. The then Governor Haren Mukherjee declared the house a national heritage. Later in 2007, the house was converted into a museum after orders from the then Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi. But soon the museum was damaged due to no proper maintenance.