The Coastal Museum that is coming up on the premises of the 127-year-old Victoria Museum on M.G. Road will be named after late film maker Bapu. During his visit to the city a few months ago, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had mooted the proposal to name the museum after Bapu who was also a music director, illustrator and cartoonist.

After the Chief Minister’s proposal, the Department of Archaeology and Museums prepared a report and sent it to the government.

Instead of naming the museum after the legendary director, the department, in another report sent to the government, said that a new museum coming up at Eluru in West Godavari district could be named after Bapu, as it was his native place.

“We are waiting for approval from the Chief Minister’s office on the issue,” the official said.

The construction of the museum is taken up at a cost of more than Rs. 4.8 crore.

The new three-storeyed structure, once completed, will be the biggest museum in the State. Rare coins, instruments and other artefacts of Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods will be showcased in the museum.

Galleries for coins

Interestingly, the new building will be three times bigger than the Victoria Museum, and it will house separate galleries to display coins used by various dynasties, besides paintings and stone-carvings.

Bronze sculptures, clothes used by the Mughal emperors, stones and label inscriptions, copper plates and ancient scripts will also be displayed. Weapons used during Vijayanagara and Nizam eras will be the other attractions, officials said.

They added that the construction of the museum was hit by shortage of sand, but works were on at a brisk pace. “We are hopeful of completing the works within a few months,” they said.

Sources said the government had planned to name the museum after Bapu who won international acclaim for his cartoons on Telugu women (Bapu Bommalu).

Through his unique style, he blended Telugu culture with modern techniques.

He also had an enormous impact on contemporary Telugu arts and movies, they added.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Vijayawada / by M. Srinivas / Vijayawada – March 27th, 2015