Jahanara Imam Memorial Museum to become part of national museum on Saturday
The Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam Memorial Museum will officially become a branch of the Bangladesh National Museum from Saturday onwards.
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque will inaugurate the ceremony at 11:00am on Saturday, Md Kamruzzaman, director general of the Bangladesh National Museum, told The Daily Star.
Jahanara Imam, a symbol of resilience and unwavering pursuit of justice, lost her son Shafi Imam Rumi during the Liberation War. Channeling her grief into unwavering determination, she became a vocal advocate for the trial of war criminals, inspiring generations.
Saif Imam Jami, Jahanara Imam's younger son, established the museum in 2007 at the family's residence, Kanika, on Elephant Road in the capital.
Filled with personal memorabilia, photographs, and documents, it offers a window into the struggles and triumphs of a remarkable family during a pivotal moment in Bangladesh history.
The museum has been built on a small scale with a large hall room and office room.
Photographs spanning three generations of the Imam family adorn one wall, alongside significant contributions of Shaheed Rumi, who fought in the Liberation War as a valiant guerrilla of the Crack Platoon.
The museum also showcases everyday items and furnishings used by the family, accolades received, documents of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, as well as letters penned by Jahanara Imam and Rumi, among other artifacts.
The literary collection of Jahanara Imam can also be found in this museum.
A year ago, Saif wrote a letter to the Bangladesh National Museum asking for his mother's museum to be brought under the national museum to ensure its long-term preservation and wider accessibility.
The Bangladesh National Museum formed a committee for a feasibility study.
Monirul Haque, member-secretary and keeper of the national museum, told The Daily Star that the main responsibility of the committee was to see whether the Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam Memorial Museum was fulfilling all the criteria for merging with the National Museum.
He said all committee members visited the museum and voted in favour of making it a branch of the national museum. After that, Saif handed over the museum as a gift to the national museum, he added.
The museum will initially maintain its existing schedule, opening to visitors from 10:00am to 5:00pm every Saturday. There is no fee to enter the museum.
In this regard, Md Kamruzzaman said, "We have sent a letter to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs seeking manpower. After getting full manpower, we will keep the museum open six days a week and a decision will be made on tickets. Until then, the museum will be operated as before."
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