Refurbished GPO postal museum inaugurated

After a gap of almost five years, a refurbished century-old Postal Museum of the General Post Office, Kolkata was inaugurated today.
The museum, which was built for the offices of the Director General of the Post offices of India in the later half of 19th century, was first opened for the public on May 11, 1979.
Housing artifacts of historical value such as a rare 1806 photograph of the under-construction GPO, old postal map of 'Behar Circle' (dated January, 1890), traffic chart of Bengal and Assam Circle Route and the most valuable - specimen signatures of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore - the museum would be open for public viewing six days a week barring Sundays.

Chief Postmaster General of West Bengal Circle Arundhati Ghosh, who inaugurated the refurbished museum, said "At a time when mobile and Whatsapp have replaced letters and telegrams, the museum will help people go through the history of communication."
The entire preservation of the century-old exhibits and their restoration were done with assistance of former conservation officer of the Indian Museum Dr Amalendu Bikas Mitra.
The new-look museum, located on the ground floor of the GPO, besides, other historical exhibits like a map of the country's Railway System (dated April, 1904), one on the country's airmail service during the British rule, also showcases the three distinct phases of development - the British East India Company, Pre-Independence and post-Independence periods.