Biswajit Sahu, a fisherman in the Sunderbans is creating a museum of artefacts revealing the history of the region. Sahu always has an interest in history but could not complete his education due to financial struggles. After studying 4th standard, He quit school and started working as a daily wage labourer, eventually, taking up fishing as a profession. He had collected ancient artefacts from historical ruins in his village, Gobardhanpur as a toy in his childhood and later observed similar ones in the Indian Museum in Kolkata, India. His interest grew multifold and he started collecting more antiquities during fishing. When other fishermen were resting after a day’s catch. he often explored the nearby landscapes and found interesting items to collect. Working tirelessly for 35 years, His collection which includes 10000+ fossils, animal remains, terracotta figurines, stone tools, beads, coins, scripts, and clay pots grew into a museum in his residence.
People from all walks of life visit his museum and he is awarded for his effort in conservation by various government agencies and private organizations. But without proper infrastructure and preservation techniques, his collection is getting damaged by intense heat and moisture. He also has to relocate his house twice in fear of the coming sea.
But the 53-year-old man is not deterred by the difficulties and continues his work to build his dream collection from which one can study the history and heritage of the Sunderbans, highly vulnerable to climate change and the rising sea.
Sudip Maiti is an independent photographer and filmmaker based out of Kolkata. He is the winner of Chennai Photo Biennale 2023.
