The Alipore Jail Meusum is an iconic historic landmark in Kolkata and ages more than 100 + years and narrates stories of so many heroes and patriots. The memories of the place encompass the stories of freedom fighters and many national heroes and also hundreds of prisoners who fought for the cause of India's independence. The stories are inspiring and the place attracts hundreds of viewers who come to visit the place and return with heavy memories of the freedom fighters and deep respect for them. This monumental museum is now the City of Joy’s proud possession to offer anyone visiting Kolkata to take a peek into our history of the struggle for freedom. One can guarantee that anyone interested in the history of Indian independence will find this museum as our temple of freedom struggle for so nicely displaying, portraying, and visibly narrating our proud past. It is a must-visit for all ages, gender, and religious backgrounds to visit this unique museum and pay respect to the selfless martyrs and the architects of our struggle against the British for independence.
The area of the place is huge and very well maintained and significantly colored where the red brick walls stand out and add to the essence. Within the premises, there are the Alipore Jail Press Building, the central watchtower, over a dozen buildings that served as prison cells and wards, and the Alipore Jail Hospital building in addition to the cafeteria and refreshment shops. There are also provisions to buy mementos and books from display shops. The place also tells the stories of eminent freedom fighters who like Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Desh Bondhu Chittaranjan Das, Dinesh Gupta, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, Khudiram, the gono us Bengali revolutionist trio Binoy, Badal and Dinesh to name only a handful few. The old cells and the haunting corridors hold memories from the past when thousands of patriots and revolutionary members of India’s struggle for independence were held without trial, abused, and tortured mercilessly to extract intelligence by the British police and secret service. Their cries of pain due to unimaginable torture in their bodies and minds still seem to loom large amidst the hue and cry of visitors coming to this memorable museum that throws light on our struggle for independence.
There are provisions of seats and resting areas for the spectators and the whole campus talks of brave heroic deeds which set an example to all.
The area also displays pictures of the actual Jail condition which was there and where the restoration and it is really astonishing to see the conditions been transformed. The prison rooms and the wards are well maintained and some portions are still closed owing to further renovations and some portions have not been fit to handle the crowd and population. However, during the holiday season, the overwhelming pressure of visitors to the jail also needs to be regulated. Many of these monumental and historically significant buildings are old; and not safe to allow huge numbers of visitors to visit or climb all at the same time. Hence, more security monitoring and surveillance need to be beefed up.
The experience of visiting the place has been overwhelming and very very nostalgic. As an Indian, the stories of heroes bring in lot of sentiments while life in prison conspicuously comes out. The area of the gallows created the most sentiments and sad emotions. The chambers also depict the difficult living conditions for the prison population and the rooms were cramped spaces lacking fresh air, healthy food, natural light, proper health care, and connection to loved ones. The different galleries represent various phases and decades of the Indian freedom struggle with vivid details, memoirs, models, rare documents, photographs, past-used items, statues, pictures as well as beautifully illustrated posters. It must be acknowledged that the designers of this unique museum have taken a lot of pain and put hard work into making this place transform into a live gallery of the freedom struggle. Every major and minor event associated with independence, historical documentation, and old and modern interpretations by learned scholars has been very well represented in an elegant visitor-friendly fashion.
The place also had provision for Evening light and sound show and the stories with light and sound are not only thrilling but memorable, and heart-wrenching, and fills the minds with pride and joy parallelly while the heroic deeds of the nation are elaborated. The narration and the light works are simply astounding and each session in the evening is packed with an overcrowded audience who wish to know and explore the history of freedom struggle through narration. It is not technically possible to capture the entire freedom struggle movement in a one-hour show, yet the presenters have done a commendable job in providing the audience with an emotionally charged, inspirational performance the highlights major events of the Indian independence movement. The Alipore Jail Museum is truly one of the Icons of the city, and an exemplary landmark to nurture patriotic feelings and every person should visit to experience and cherish this place.
