Maharaja Ranjit Singh's summer palace faces monumental neglect

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

While travelling, I make it a point to explore local museums for an enriching experience. The excitement and curiosity peaks even before one steps in.
Last August, as I bought a ticket of the Nobel Peace Centre, dedicated to Alfred Nobel in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, the young receptionist said beaming, 'Today you can also meet the children of Mohammadi Narges, an imprisoned Iranian women's rights advocate, who was the winner of 2023 Peace Prize. They will shortly give a presentation.'
Two months later, as I showed my ticket to enter the Titanic museum in Northern Ireland's capital, Belfast, the official alerted me about the guided tour. 'In just three minutes, you can also be part of the free guided tour which will take 45 minutes but you will appreciate the richness of it. Then you are free to explore the museum on your own,' he said.
This March, when my elderly uncle and aunt from Chicago stayed with us in Amritsar, my brother and I took them to Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Summer Palace Museum at Ram Bagh, also built by him. It's where the Maharaja resided in summer.
Spotting our arrival in the hot afternoon, the museum official, who was sitting under a tree, came to open the door for us and directed us to the ticket counter. Due to the high ceiling, it was quite cool but also dark. We were the only ones inside and expected the lights to be switched on as we proceeded towards the first gallery, but darkness continued to follow us.
My aunt suggested: 'It seems there's no electricity at the moment. You can switch on your phone torches.' 'What about the generator,' she asked the official, who replied nonchalantly: 'We don't have one.' My brother requested for a guide and pat came the response, 'There's none either.'
We laughed at our helplessness and held up our phones to read the texts with the artefacts. We admired the rich collection from coins to weapons from the Maharaja's reign but the mannequins on display, though looking authentic, were enveloped in dust.
When we looked out from the first-floor windows, overgrown grass and weed greeted us in all directions. Many historic structures around were also in a state of neglect. The staircase we took had a loose rope attached for support instead of a fixed railing, which was confusing for the elderly couple. After taking a round of the place, we approached the official about the light and sound show timings and his reply made us laugh again: 'It depends on when the power is back and if there is a sizeable audience for it.'
A few days later, as I received an assignment from one of the inflight magazines for the Amritsar tourism column, I discovered news reports that in January 2015, seven daggers of Maharaja Ranjit Singh had been stolen from a nearby panorama dedicated to the founder of the Sikh empire. Such is the state of affairs.
Recently, I received a call from my uncle in Chicago and we had a hearty laugh remembering our visit to the museum, particularly the dark welcome. Does the government really care about this museum and its visitors? Small steps can make a big difference. [e-mail]
The writer is an Amritsar-based freelance contributor.