The Palli Kabi Jasimuddin Museum and Folk Cultural Centre in Faridpur, built in 2014 beside the ancestral home of the renowned rural poet, has fallen into neglect, with hardly any visitors despite being inaugurated nearly a decade ago.
Located in Ambikapur, the museum was inaugurated on 29 March 2017. However, it has remained largely neglected since its opening.
A lack of publicity, an entrance located some distance from the poet’s home, the absence of his personal belongings and memorabilia, and several other problems have left the museum on the verge of abandonment.
The entire complex is overgrown with weeds, while most of its flowering plants have died. Damp has affected the walls of several buildings, causing paint to peel off.
Local cultural figures have warned that the modern museum could deteriorate beyond repair unless the government takes immediate and effective measures to preserve it.
The Jasimuddin Museum and Folk Cultural Centre stands on the banks of the Kumar River, adjacent to the poet’s ancestral home in Ambikapur union of Faridpur.
It operates as a branch of the Bangladesh National Museum under the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
The government undertook the project in 2006, and construction was completed in 2014. The Public Works Department formally handed over the complex in 2016.
Although the museum was inaugurated on 29 March 2017, it was opened to visitors on 9 December that year.
Built on four acres of land, the complex comprises four buildings: a gallery, an administrative building, a library and a dormitory.
An open-air stage was also constructed on the southeastern side of the complex to host programmes featuring the poet’s literary works and other cultural events.
However, no programme has ever been organised on the stage for reasons that remain unclear.
Instead, events marking the poet’s birth and death anniversaries continue to be held at his ancestral home.
Despite having a spacious field in front of the open-air stage, the district administration has made no attempt to organise programmes there.
There are allegations that the lack of cooperation from members of the poet’s family has contributed to the museum’s deteriorating condition.
Several rooms at the poet’s ancestral home have been arranged like a museum, displaying his personal belongings, rare photographs, manuscripts and other memorabilia.
Visitors must purchase tickets to enter the house.
As a result, many visitors travelling from distant areas remain unaware that a separate museum has been established beside the poet’s home.
Those who discover the museum and purchase another ticket are often disappointed to find very few exhibits associated with the poet.
It has been alleged that the museum has been unable to collect the poet’s memorabilia because of a lack of interest among his family members.
Several college students from Rajbari, including Aminul Islam, Simin Rahman and Md Abdullah, said they had purchased tickets for Tk20 each to visit the poet’s ancestral home, where they saw various personal belongings and memorabilia.
They later learnt that a separate museum was located nearby.
However, after purchasing additional tickets to enter the museum, they were disappointed to find little of interest.
Other visitors complained that the museum lacked adequate seating arrangements and safe drinking water.
They also expressed frustration over the absence of significant memorabilia associated with the poet.
Visitors said the museum offered little opportunity to learn more about Jasimuddin’s life and literary contributions through original exhibits.
According to museum sources, the institution has nine officials and employees, including four permanent staff members. The remaining five work on a muster-roll basis.
Six Ansar personnel are deployed to provide security at the complex.
Mukesh Chandra Roy, the museum’s officer-in-charge, acknowledged that many people were unaware of the government-funded institution.
He said visitors arriving from different parts of the country often mistook the poet’s ancestral home for the museum itself.
“Visitors have to buy a ticket to enter the poet’s house, and many are reluctant to purchase another ticket for the museum. As a result, the number of visitors remains low,” he said.
Roy added that the authorities were taking initiatives to increase visitor numbers.
