“Aluminium Association of India has plans to set up a Museum on Aluminium in Bhubaneswar soon,” said Dr Tapan Kumar Chand, CMD, NALCO and president, Aluminium Association of India.

Speaking at a International Museum Day function here, Dr Chand said Odisha is acclaimed as the aluminium capital of the country with abundant resources and production of aluminium.

To spread awareness on history and usage of the metal, Aluminium Association of India has decided to establish a Aluminium Museum in Smart City Bhubaneswar, he said.

Speaking on various aspects of Museums across the globe, Dr. Chand wished that the State Museum of Odisha should be at par with the global standard, attracting visitors from the country and beyond.

He suggested the Museum authority to adopt new technologies like Audio Guide and digitalization to make the Museum more vibrant and attractive for the visitors. He also stressed on the documentation of history and the collections of the Museums. Minister Tourism & Odia Language, Literature & Culture, Ashok Chandra Panda, MP Prasant Nanda, secretary tourism Manoranjan Panigrahi and others were present.

Tourism and Odia Language, literature and Culture Minister Mr Panda inaugurated two new galleries at the Odisha State Museum here . The two galleries display – collection of rare coins from the 6th Century onwards while the other gallery is devoted to Odisha film history of 50 years from 1936.

He emphasized on proper preservation of the rare exhibits including the historic palm leaf manuscripts in the museum. The history, culture and language of the state gets reflected in all these exhibits. It helps researchers.

The young school children get to know a lot about the state and its culture, he said. Mr Manoranjan Panigrahi spoke on the importance of preserving and promoting Odia language and culture.

Noted collectors of rare articles – Arabinda Ray, S S Das, T Patnaik, Bhibuti Bhusan Patnaik, Rajkishore Mahata were felicitated by the Minister Ashok Panda.

A journal – “ Odisha Historical Research Journal” was released by the Minister. School children who took part in various competitions organised to mark International Museum Day were awarded at the function.