SM SAHNI/ SATWANT SINGH RISSAM
Wadia Museum of Geology in the City of Temples, Jammu is of International Fame in the field of Geology. But sadly it is known to very few citizens of Jammu & Kashmir specially the Jammuites. This Museum was established in 1912, in the Geology Department of Erstwhile Prince of Wales College Jammu (Now G. G. M. Science College). The Museum since its establishment retains its original setting, except for few changes in the layout done by the Department.
Wadia Museum of Geology was named after Dr. D.N. Wadia, commonly known as Father of Indian Geology, as he was one of the most influential geologists in the early part of 20th Century. This Museum of Geology has the finest and most extensive collections of fossils, minerals, geological maps of early period, topographical maps, equipments, models, photographic materials, meteorites, zoologic specimens and various kinds of implements and tools.
Moreover, the Wadia Archives contains large collection of books and journals of early Twentieth Century. All the Fossil collections lying in the museum are important scientifically and historically. Interestingly, fossils Specimen from foreign countries, the Shivaliks and many other parts of India such as 11 feet long tusk (elephus ganesa - a close relations of ancestors of present day elephants) is properly exhibited in the heart of Museum.
The Wadia Museum has some of the finest collections of the ancestors of present day elephants, hippopotamus, horses, turtles, antiers, cattle pigs, crocodiles, fish etc from the shivalik formations of Jammu, famous for its vertebrate fossils that lived 182 million years ago, when the area was carved by rivers and lakes that enabled a highly diverse ecosystem to develop. There are also imported collections of fossil plants, insects, brachiopods, lamelli branches, gastropods, navlitoids, edinoderms, extinct trilobites and ammonoids from different parts of the world. Inside the museum a complete section is devoted to the fossilized shark tooth from Cambridge England which is well preserved till today. We all should be proud of this treasure as the Collection of Specimen is more than 100,000 in addition to rich fossils and minerals. This Museum is of valuable resource for students, research scholars, academicians, enthusiasts and anyone with an interest to learn about Geology. It is very important to mention here that the Wadia Museum supports teaching and research in earth sciences and scholars from various countries such as USA & UK have visited this museum for research and study purpose.
After having being neglected for decades on this world museum day of 2020 we all in Jammu and Kashmir should take a pledge to converse, preserve & restore this museum to its pristine glory, to promote this international level museum in a big way all over the world to take advantage of the collections preserved in the museum for research & study purposes, to bring this museum on the tourism map of Jammu for the visiting tourists, pilgrims like Amar Mahal as well as Dogra Art Museum, to publish a document on the Wadia Museum of Geology of G. G. M. Science College Jammu, to make a portal /website of the Museum, to prepare a directory of the personalities of National – International repute who were students of this prestigious Department of Geology as in earlier days the Museum was famous in North India for studying Geology and had produced intellectuals in the field of Geology who later occupied the highest positions in this field, geologists of the nation must be invited once a year to celebrate the opening day or Geology day under the umbrella of Wadia Museum of Geology, which itself will promote Mice Tourism and one day the event will be of international fame.
But before that the Heritage building of the Department of Geology Govt. Gandhi Memorial Science College Jammu needs the immediate attention of the authorities concerned to save the Wadia Museum of Geology of Jammu with following check points for which DPR’s stand already prepared by the government. These include conservation of Heritage Building as per the prepared DPR’s, expansion of the building with original architecture design be planned to house the present day requirements such as removal of partitions from the main hall which were erected to accommodate staff, shifting of labs from original verandah, new labs, staff room, faculty room, washroom, stores, pantry etc, removal of unwanted plants, Algae from the roof and walls to avoid damage to the building and prevent seepage, interpretation section with I.T. facilities for the visiting faculties, scholars, students & tourists, for briefing about the Museum & the College with introduction of Jammu.
With this all let’s hope that system can be built to conserve all museums in Jammu and Kashmir and we don’t fail our young people and their passion for free public museums. |
