[Assam] [Assam Society] Brindabani Bastra and the sentiment of the people of Assam
Chan Mahanta
cmahanta at charter.net
Mon Aug 18 06:58:13 PDT 2008
>As an Assamese, I feel fortunate that I am able
>to view this historic piece of textile in
>British Museum where every care is taken to
>preserve and conserve.
Well said Rini!
I do believe that colonial raiders should return
art and artifacts to their countries of origin,
but ONLY if these countries can demonstrate that
they care and have the abilities to preserve them
and open them up to their citizens.
A good case in point is the ancient Xaansipaator
Puthis and artwork of Assam on Xaansi-bark that
Assam has long stored in neglect, while depriving
their Owners, the people of Assam, free access to
them for decades. When expatriate Assamese from
USA proposed to digitally record them , free of
charge, Assam govt. bureaucrats , including the
Chief Minister Sri Tarun Gogoi could not even
muster the courtesy of sending a reply to the
request. The problem, we heard thru the
grapevine, was our condition that we should be
able to keep a copy of the digital archives and
make it available for viewing to the worlds
without restrictions.
These would have been far better kept and opened
for viewing, if they were to have been taken by
the British.
cm
>Historical records provide ample evidence of
>glorious textiles tradition of Assam. At the
>request of the Koch king's brother: Prince
>Chilarai, Sri Sankaradeva took up the project of
>tapestry weaving for which he engaged the
>weavers of Tantikuchi or Barpeta. Eventually,
>the Brindabani Bastra was lost though the last
>place of resort for the Bastra was the Madhupur
>Sattra in Koch Behar.
>
>The Brindabani Bastra a figured silks from
>Assam: from the 16th - 18th century (measuring
>120 cubits long and 60 cubits broad) are rare
>silk textile fragments depicting scenes from the
>life of Lord Krishna in a floral, naturalistic
>and preciously elegant style are preserved at
>the Blythe House, part of British Museum. Also
>in other museums like Victoria & Albert
>Museum, Chepstow Museum in Wales, Calico Museum
>of Textiles in Ahmedabad, Newark Museum in New
>Jersey, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in
>Richmond, Museum of Mankind in London,
>Philadelphia Museum of Art, Centro
>Internazionale delle Arti e del Costume in
>Venice and AEDTA Collection in Paris.
>
>As Richard Blurton, the Curator at the British
>Museum explains, it was Perceval Landon, a
>British journalist and special correspondent for
>The Times who acquired the Brindabani Bastra on
>his expedition to Tibet in 1903 - 1904 in a town
>called Gobshi. And he gave the textile to
>British Museum in 1905 over a hundred years.
>
>Rosemary Crill, the researcher & the author of
>the book Vrindavani Vastra: Figured Silks from
>Assam is a Senior Curator for the Asian
>Development at the Victoria & Albert Musem. Her
>suggestion is that it can be linked examples
>some of which emerged from Tibet to Assamese
>Vaishnavite rituals. The piece which is at
>British Museum can not be certain that it
>belongs to the period of Sankaradeva. But pieces
>in other places could be about Sankardev's time.
>
>Museum would be very dull places if they could
>only display works that were made in their own
>countries or ethnic areas. What is most
>important is that art is displayed publicly not
>hoarded in private collections. Galleries upon
>galleries of European and American museums can
>be seen filled by objects from ancient Egypt,
>Greece and Rome.
>
>The colonial powers as we like to call them were
>the ones that preserved these treasures. Without
>them most of these artefacts would have
>disappeared by neglect. Many works of art have
>been preserved better as a result of being
>carefully handled in a foreign museum: there is
>the theory that the Elgin marbles would not have
>remained in their present condition in Athens
>because of the high air pollution levels, and
>similarly, many treasures would have been lost
>or destroyed for ever had they not been removed
>by outsiders.
>
>Perceval Landon must have understood the
>importance of Brindabani Bastra when he found it
>in Gobshi and decided to bring all the way from
>Tibet to a safer home like British museum.
>
>The world does seem a smaller place nowadays and
>to me these treasures do belong to the world.
>Cultural artefacts were local then became
>national and are now global. Civilisation is not
>a civilisation if you do not share with others.
>British Museum has done a good job of looking
>after them and naming its original.
>
>As coming from Assam, I can feel the sentiment
>of Assamese people today being emotional and
>stubborn to bring back Brindabani Bastra to home.
>
>We can not do anything to conserve what we
>already have. What about the wealth of
>historical treasures such as monuments and
>artefacts from our deep past. In the name of
>preservation and conservation of the Majuli
>Sattra, State Archives, State museum, District
>library to name a few are in a dilapidated
>condition. Archaeological Survey of India has
>often complained that lack of adequate funds is
>largely responsible for its inability to protect
>the country's museums and monuments.
>
>Assamese has a very rich literary history, is
>known to have written literature starting the
>thirteenth century before the printing press was
>brought to Assam by Europeans. The books were
>written painstakingly in hand on especially
>prepared paper from locally available resources.
>Some of these documents stored in the museum of
>Assam and Gauhati University library in various
>conditions, most not so scientific. And as a
>result of the natural calamities, sheer neglect
>and lack of knowledge, the precious hand-written
>books, dating back centuries are slowly getting
>destroyed.
>
>A long year of neglect have taken its toll on a
>number of sites of historical importance, the
>ancient monuments of the state have failed to
>get the recognition that they deserve.
>
>We demolish old temples. Not to speak of other
>sites, cracks on the famed Rang Ghar and Kareng
>Ghar, have now endangered the very existence of
>this structure. The NorthBrook gate in Jubilee
>garden, Panbazar, at the very heart of Guwahati
>is facing the burnt of neglect, and big cracks
>have appeared on the pillars. I remember as a
>child we used to play hide and seek inside the
>gate. This gate was constructed near Sukreswar
>ghat on the bank of river Brahmaputra, where
>NorthBrook got down from the ship to visit the
>city in 1874. It also welcomed Lord Curzon
>during his visit to Guwahati from Kolkata.
>
>Another sad example: when we demolished our old
>Cotton College administrative building, which
>was built in 1901 initiated by Sir Henry Cotton.
>It is our heritage. Isn't it?
>
>British maintained English Heritage. They aim to
>make people understand and appreciate the
>importance of historic site to get the care and
>attention it deserves, from the first traces of
>civilisation to the most significant buildings
>of the 20th century. They feel that it is their
>job at English Heritage to make sure that the
>historic environment of England is properly
>maintained and cared for. In Stratford
>-upon-Avon, Shakespear's cottage, the original
>structure of the building still stand as it is.
>They renovate, redecorate but never change the
>structure.
>
>Now both India and Assam wants to claim back the
>Kohinoor Diamond and Brindabani Bastra. Good job
>Taj Mahal was not mobile! It might have been on
>the other side of Big Ben today? This is
>sentiment!
>
>Unfortunately this is like trying to rewind
>history. Where would you stop? Would every Roman
>artefact in Britain have to be sent to Italy,
>along with every Roman or Greek statue? Would
>the French want back statues that were cast from
>the bronze of their guns, could the South
>African's claim back all their diamonds and
>gold? Should all Dutch paintings be sent back to
>Holland? It just wouldn't work.
>
>In Victoria & Albert Museum one can see the
>famous Tipoo's Tiger which had been damaged in
>the Second World War. Also many works of
>Buddhist art from Central Asia was also damaged
>in Berlin and lost forever. In such a volatile
>world where works of art be safe?
>
>Who were to deny that Britain is a colonial
>misadventure of last century? But Britain has
>also brought a morale system into the society.
>
>We are no more than the summation of our
>experiences. For our experiences define our
>identity. In case of Brindabani Bastra, the
>problem is how can we establish the original
>ownership? So, far nothing has come up.
>
>But again once the State Government is not in a
>position to preserve and conserve the already
>existing artefacts, how can we be assured safe
>keep of Brindabani Bastra in Assam.
>
>The climate of Assam is very humid. It rains
>torrentially during the Monsoon season. The
>Brahmaputra and the many hundreds of big and
>small rivers and tributaries in Assam are prone
>to damaging floods almost every year.
>Earthquakes are fairly common as well. There are
>hardly any scientifically maintained archival
>sites.
>
>However a temporary measure, for the public
>viewing of Brindabani Bastra one can suggest in
>a place like Srimanta Sankardev Kalashetra,
>Guwahati, provided it has any scientific method
>to preserve. The arrangement should be for a
>limited period only.
>
>Once more Brindabani Bastra in its current
>location is much more safer and available for
>many more people who might be interested in arts
>and culture
>
>As an Assamese, I feel fortunate that I am able
>to view this historic piece of textile in
>British Museum where every care is taken to
>preserve and conserve.
>
>Rini Kakati
>
>
>
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