Sookdeo Bissoondoyal Memorial Museum
About The Museum
The museum has four rooms. On the walls of the first room are exhibited photographs showing the political activities of Sookdeo Bissoondoyal and his portrait painted by P. Ghose. At the centre of the room, a showcase displays a balance, a candle holder, a miniature Taj Mahal in white marble and glass wares. In one corner of the room are placed an old dressing table and a chair. Another feature of this room is a plaster bust of Sookdeo Bissoondoyal.
The second room houses books from his personal collection and periodicals. Since 1991, it serves as a reading room where visitors can have access to library materials. Numerous volumes of ” Hind Kitabs” are available for spot consultation. On the walls are hung two ink/pencil drawings by R. Bissoondoyal of Vinovabhavey and Mahatma Gandhi, an oil lamp and a leather bag on which is printed “Independence 1968”.
In the third room, located just behind the first one, an antique metal bed is displayed. A glass showcase presents diverse items like manuscripts, pens, letters, books, ashtray, cigarette holder with lighter, spectacles, postage stamps and a leather bag. In two corners of this room, are found a dressing table and an old radio set placed on a wooden table.
The fourth room displays, in a flat showcase, the personal effects of Sookdeo Bissoondoyal – shirts, shoes, felt hat, bag, trousers, necktie etc. Two old sofas and a blackboard are also exhibited in this room.
In 2001, the museum acquired a bronze bust of Sookdeo Bissoondoyal. The bust is the work of the Mauritian artist D. Bungshee. It was commissioned by Ramnath Jeetha and placed in front of the museum on the occasion of Sookdeo Bissoondoyal’s birth anniversary.
An annual feature at the museum is the holding of a “Yaj” ceremony on 25 December by a local socio-cultural organisation to celebrate the birthday of Sookdeo Bissoondoyal.
