THE PRESERVATION STORY BEHIND EVERY PLACE WHICH HAS A GLORIOUS PAST OR HERITAGE IS NOT ALWAYS DEMORALISING. IN KANTHALPARA OF NAIHATI, A SUBURB OF KOLKATA THERE IS PATERNAL HOUSE OF BANKIM CHANDRA CHATTERJEE WHO WROTE VANDEMATARAM ( THE LYRICS WERE WRITTEN BY BANKIM WHILE TAGORE WAS THE COMPOSER OF THE SONG )IS TURNED INTO A MODERN RESEARCH INSTITUTE WHERE HIS MEMORIES ARE BEING PRESERVED IN A VERY WELL MAINTAINED FASHION.
BUT THE PICTURE WAS NOT SO BRIGHT 25 YEARS AGO WHEN THIS HOUSE WAS IN TOTAL OBLIVION , SHROUDED IN DENSE JUNGLE, HAD BECOME RESIDENTS OF POISONOUS SANKES AND CRIMINALS. BUT IT WAS THE EFFORTS BY FAMOUS RESEARCHER-SCHOLAR DR. SATYAJIT CHOUDHURY WHICH MADE IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE THE HOUSE COME INTO LIGHT ONCE AGAIN. NOW “THE BAKIM BHAVAN GAVESHANA KENDRA”HAS TAKEN UP MODERN MOST TECHNIQUES TO PRESERVE ALL THE VALUABLE DOCUMENTS CONNECTED WITH BANKIM AND HIS FAMILY i.e. MANUSCRIPTS,LETTERS ETC DIGITALLY. NOT ONLY THIS THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE IS ALSO TRYING TO PUBLISH AN ENCYCLOPEDIA ON BANKIM CHANDRA. BESIDES THE REVIVAL OF BANGADARSHAN THE MAGAZINE ONCE EDITED BY BANKIM HIMSELF,ALSO HAS TAKEN PLACE UNDER SUPERVISION OF DR. CHOUDHURY. MOREOVER, APART FROM DOING WORKS ON BANKIM CHANDRA THE INSTITUTE ALSO DOING PRESERVATION WORKS ON FAMOUS INDOLOGIST HARA PRASAD SHASTRI AND HIS SCHOLAR SON DR. VINOYTOSH BHATTACHARYA.
