WEST BENGAL STATE -CULTURE

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     West Bengal is a proud land of five Nobel Laureates (Tagore, Raman, Ronald Ross, Mother Teresa, Amartya Sen). It is also known for its sweet Bengali language, appreciative audiences, connoisseurs of art and culture and it’s highly cultured people who are ready to standup for a cause and take problems in their stride as they step towards a future. With no illusions, no false expectations but a deep conviction that life is truth and truth will triumph.


Indian Museum (Calcutta)
     This museum was established in 1878. The museum is built in Italian architectural style and is considered as the largest museum in the country and one of the best in Asia. This museum has different sections and the artifacts displayed here are amazing. Form the Egyptian mummy to the Skeleton of the whale and some rare statutes; the museum has every thing. One of the rooms has a collection of meteorites. The museum also has a unique fossil collection of prehistoric animals which includes a giant crocodile and a huge tortorise. The art collection has many fine pieces from Orissan and other temples and superb example of Buddhist Gandharan art.

Other Museums
Ashutosh Museum Located in Calcutta University, it houses a collection of art objects with emphasis on Bengali folk art.

Birla Industrial & Technological Museum
Situated at 19A Gurusday Rd is the Birla Industrial & Technological Museum open daily except Monday from 10 am to 5 pm. There is also the Birla Academy of Art & Culture at 109 Southern Ave, open daily except Monday from 4 to 8 pm.

It has a good collection of sculpture and modern art. The huge Birla-built Radha Krishna Temple is just around the corner from the Industrial & Technological Museum.

Academy of Fine Arts
Residing on Cathedral Rd beside the cathedral in Chowringhee, has a permanent exhibition and runs an artists’ studio. There are cultural shows in the evening. The academy is open daily except Monday from 3 to 8 pm. Tagore House A centre for Indian dance, drama, music and other arts, Tagore House is the birthplace of Rabindranath Tagore, India’s greatest modern poet. It is open from 10 am to 5 pm weekdays, to 2 pm on Saturday and is closed on Sunday. Next door to the GPO there’s a small postal museum.

Indian Museum
Situated on the corner of Sudder Street and Chowringhee Rd is the Indian Museum built in 1875. It’s certainly the largest and probably the best Museum in India, and one of the best in Asia. Its widely varied collection includes a collection of meteorite, fossils, paintings and other works of art. One can see a room full of meteorites while other collections worth seeing include stuffed animals, skeletons, deformed foetuses and so on.