Field Trip to Alipore Jail Museum by the History Department

Name of the activity: The Department of History conducted a field trip to Alipore Jail Museum on 23rd November 2024.

Type of activity: The field trip was part of their particular SEC course– Museums and Archives which is mandated by the University of Calcutta.

Duration: It was conducted from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Resource Person: Prof. Piu Chatterjee.

Number of participants: Fifteen students went on the trip and faculty members of the department of history who accompanied the students included Dr. Devina Gupta, Nidhi Shukla and Divyasattwa Chakroborty.

Objective of the event: The trip was organized to educate and illustrate the students of the history honours department about the role of revolutionaries in the freedom struggle of India.

Brief description of the event: A field visit to the museum added an experiential dimension to classroom learning for the students. The cells specifically designated for political prisoners like Nehru, Bose, C. R. Das were visited by our students. Special galleries devoted to the women freedom fighters illustrated the little spoken of role of women in the freedom struggle. The students were provided guided tour of the museum to inform and instruct them about the role of the museum as a silent witness to the untold miseries heaped on the valiant freedom fighters. In addition to that, the architecture of the museum, inspired by Bentham’s panopticon and its enduring legacy was explained.

Outcome of the event: The outcome of the event was successful with the students reporting widespread interest and expressing a desire for more such events.

Conclusion: Our visit attempted to inculcate the principles of courage, value and perseverance among the students through their visit of the museum.