The first commissioned officer in the Indian Army from Jagadhri in Haryana, Col Jasbir Singh Bhutter bid goodbye to fatigues in 1988 to realize his long-cherished dream of uplifting the education system and preserving Sikh heritage in his hometown, where his ancestors had moved from Punjab province in West Pakistan.
Running many educational institutes here and in Vancouver, Canada, where he shifted in 2000, Col Singh stands at the threshold of a rare and country's first-of-its-kind international centre of excellence for museum education in Jagadhri.
The man spends at least four months of a year in his hometown to overlook the tasks undertaken, while son Parampal Singh is instrumental in finalising details of the dream project. "My father always had a keen desire to preserve the rich heritage and culture of this area," says Singh, pointing out to an old Buddhist monastery in nearby Chaneti village and reportedly the first-ever fort of great Sikh warrior, Banda Singh Bahadur, near Jagadhri.
The repository, to be thrown open in the first week of July, has roped in director NPS Randhawa and incharge of outreach activities PC Sharma of Chandigarh Museum and Art Gallery as consultants. "The centre will have an elaborate and vast Sikh gallery, featuring the lifetime and achievements of 10 Gurus and Banda Bahadur," says Sharma.
Collecting rare pandulipis or manuscripts from various schools and villages of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh for another gallery, Sharma adds, "Special emphasis will also be given to paintings, drawings and scriptures from contemporary Indian and the international artists."
Besides an exclusive section on textile and embroidery for display of traditional phulkari items from the region, the institute will house a section on geological studies.
"Artists will get special training on preservation of ancient and rare pieces at home. Restoration training programmes will also be imparted through a mobile van that will travel from one place to another," says Sharma, who along with Randhawa will also help bring up a digital library and souvenir shop.
"An online library will assist budding artists from across the world to learn and incorporate the same in their individual research projects," adds Sharma, eagerly looking forward to next month
Arming nation with museum education Col - Chandigarh - City - The Times of India
Running many educational institutes here and in Vancouver, Canada, where he shifted in 2000, Col Singh stands at the threshold of a rare and country's first-of-its-kind international centre of excellence for museum education in Jagadhri.
The man spends at least four months of a year in his hometown to overlook the tasks undertaken, while son Parampal Singh is instrumental in finalising details of the dream project. "My father always had a keen desire to preserve the rich heritage and culture of this area," says Singh, pointing out to an old Buddhist monastery in nearby Chaneti village and reportedly the first-ever fort of great Sikh warrior, Banda Singh Bahadur, near Jagadhri.
The repository, to be thrown open in the first week of July, has roped in director NPS Randhawa and incharge of outreach activities PC Sharma of Chandigarh Museum and Art Gallery as consultants. "The centre will have an elaborate and vast Sikh gallery, featuring the lifetime and achievements of 10 Gurus and Banda Bahadur," says Sharma.
Collecting rare pandulipis or manuscripts from various schools and villages of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh for another gallery, Sharma adds, "Special emphasis will also be given to paintings, drawings and scriptures from contemporary Indian and the international artists."
Besides an exclusive section on textile and embroidery for display of traditional phulkari items from the region, the institute will house a section on geological studies.
"Artists will get special training on preservation of ancient and rare pieces at home. Restoration training programmes will also be imparted through a mobile van that will travel from one place to another," says Sharma, who along with Randhawa will also help bring up a digital library and souvenir shop.
"An online library will assist budding artists from across the world to learn and incorporate the same in their individual research projects," adds Sharma, eagerly looking forward to next month
Arming nation with museum education Col - Chandigarh - City - The Times of India
