To a person, who has not made a trip to the Sundarbans, the first floor of the city’s National Museum can be an ideal place to glimpse the biodiversity of the world’s largest mangrove forest.
Inside a newly constructed diorama, one can see the monkeys of the forest clinching with the Sundari trees, the deer are loitering beneath, birds hanging in the tree branches and a tiger inside the deep jungle gazing.
Also, the bird’s chirping and animal sounds synchronized with other acoustic effect will make you feel, for at least a moment, you are somewhere around the mangrove forest.
The Gallery No-3 of the National Museum arranged so in the diorama titled ‘The Sundarbans’, which was launched yesterday.
“Wonderful!” uttered Mina Rahman, a visitor of the city, while expressing her feeling. “We have always heard about the Sundarbans from people and watched the forest in television, but never got a chance to visit. This ‘mini Sundarbans’ can be a great entertaining place for the kids.”
For the first time ever, the National Museum authorities launched such type of glass showcase, which represents a panorama of the Sundarbans, with the aim to increase public awareness for environmental protection and promote public opinion for conservation of the forest.
The authorities organised a launching ceremony followed by a prize giving ceremony of a children’s art competition, which marked the death anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Inside the gallery are seen an array of trees beside rivers and canals with the diverse wildlife — tigers, deer, monitor lizards, crabs, monkeys, vultures, woodpeckers and birds of different species in the background of jungle.
The organisers said the gallery would help satisfy people, who cannot afford to go to the Sundarbans, with the natural beauty and biodiversity of the forest.
Information and Cultural Affairs Minister, Abul Kalam Azad, inaugurated the gallery and lauded the initiative that the kids can have a primary idea, at least in small form, of the forest through the gallery, and it would raise their interests in the Sundarbans.
Prof Dr Shahdat Ali, president of diorama expert committee; Prakash Chandra Das, director general of the museum; and M Azizur Rahman, president of Museum Trustee Board; also spoke.
