Museum dedicated to Munshi Premchand in Varanasi

Varanasi (UP): A museum dedicated to noted author Munshi Premchand coming up in his native village Lamahi in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi.

The museum will use digital aids to recreate moments of his life and characters from his books.

The government has allocated Rs 10 crore for the development of a state-of-the-art museum dedicated to the teacher-turned-author par excellence, said principal secretary tourism Mukesh Meshram.

The state government had mooted a proposal to convert Premchand’s residence into a museum that allows his followers to experience him in some way.

UP tourism minister Jaiveer Singh said: “Munshi Premchand was a cult writer who depicted the contrasting elements of life in his work. He wrote to spread awareness about social concerns of those times while showing the way to address them. His writings are still relevant and popular and so his museum will continue to inspire generations.”

Officials said people visit Lamahi every year and to his followers, the ancestral home is a holy site.

Sharing details of the virtual museum, the officials said: “A building has been constructed recently behind the home which will be used to create the virtual museum.”

Among other features, it will also display rare photographs of Premchand, sketches on his stories and books for reading.

The museum will accommodate statues of characters such as Gobar, Dhania, Hori, Dattadin, Rai Sahab, Bhola, Miss Malati, Govindi, Anandi, Matadin, Jhuri and his two bullocks Heera and Moti.