The Chartha home where Sachin Dev Burman (better known as S D Burman) first heard Bhatiali river songs and folk music of boatmen, may soon be more than a memory. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Bangladesh has re-launched plans to convert his ancestral home into a full-fledged music museum and cultural complex. The Bangladesh National Museum is leading feasibility studies under a three-member committee headed by Md Serajul Islam.
The planned museum aims for concrete features: music archives, research rooms, an open stage, and a music education centre. This idea has been discussed for over a decade; locals and cultural activists have long pressed for protection of the house. Part of the building has already been restored; a mural of Burman is up; ‘Sachin Mela’ fairs mark his birthday. But the home has also suffered neglect: parts converted to a poultry farm, encroachment, and decay. Now there is renewed political will and cultural urgency.
This blog examines what it takes to turn this promise into reality. What are the practical challenges? What legal and administrative collaborations are needed? And how might this museum serve not just Cumilla or Bangladesh, but signal a model for heritage preservation in South Asia?
Making Museums Work: Practical Steps and Challenges
Setting up a museum is not just about fixing walls or installing exhibits. First, the feasibility committee must assess condition of structures, document what remains (furniture, photos, manuscripts, instruments), and identify what needs urgent repair. In Burman’s case, parts of the estate were encroached, some sections demolished, some repurposed. The first task is to legally reclaim and clear land, ensure ownership is clean, auctions are not possible, encroachments removed, and historic features preserved.
Second, funding and institutional responsibility must be clear. At present, multiple agencies are involved: Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Bangladesh National Museum, district administration. But who will own ongoing operations? Who will staff the museum, maintain archives, protect from vandalism? What budget is allocated for staffing, conservation, security? For example, two small staff members currently clean and maintain the house. That cannot scale to running a research library, open stage, or music education centre.
Third, curatorial and program planning. The plan includes open stage and education centre. That means community access, programming, events, and collection of oral histories. Detailed archival work is needed to collect recordings, song notations, and interviews. Display design matters: the layout, lighting, conservation of audio-visual material. If done well, this could make the museum both a place of pilgrimage for fans and a serious research centre. If done poorly, it falls into the trap of nostalgia without depth.
Legal Cooperation, Heritage Stewardship, and Community Roots
Restoring a historic house demands legal cooperation among departments. In Burman’s case, archaeology/heritage authorities need legal title, protection status, heritage listing. There is already recognition (the home is protected monument partly) but gaps remain: transfers of responsibility, removal of farm functions, legal protection against future encroachments. The government must formalize agreements defining who is responsible for which aspect — restoration, preservation, operations, programming.
Community involvement is equally important. Local cultural activists (like Oitijhyo Cumilla), researchers, families of artists, residents all have stakes. Their knowledge of Burman’s early years, folk traditions, local music styles are vital for exhibits that are authentic. Engaging them helps ensure that the museum doesn’t become a monument only to tourism but remains rooted in lived heritage.
Heritage stewardship also requires sustainability. Museums require maintenance budgets, security, staffing, upkeep. If open stage is to function, performances need scheduling, sound systems, safety. If archives are to be accessible, conservation and digitisation matter. Lessons from other heritage homes show that without clear annual funds and institutional backing, deterioration resumes quickly after initial restoration.
Lessons for Bangladesh and Beyond: A Model in the Making
Burman’s house is a rare case of birthplace-museum planning in Bangladesh. Many heritage homes are lost to neglect, development pressure, lack of legal protection. If this initiative succeeds, it can become a replicable model: how to convert an ancestral home into a cultural complex that balances local pride, research, education, and tourism.
Tourism potential is real. Cumilla’s local culture, riverine beauty, folk music are assets. A well-managed museum can draw domestic tourists and international visitors with interest in Bengali music or film history. That can generate income, enliven local economy, support crafts, hospitality. But tourism also demands infrastructure: access roads, signage, accommodation, visitor amenities. Without those, even a landmark museum remains under-visited.
Another lesson is for interagency clarity. Many heritage projects stall because of overlapping jurisdictions, unclear legal status, or lack of accountability. From property acquisition to conservation standards, ministries of culture, heritage departments, local governments must coordinate. Legal frameworks should protect heritage status, prevent encroachments, define operational responsibility. Finally, this urges embedding educational programming early. Involving schools, music students, local artists will make the museum a living thing, not a static shrine.
Conclusion: From House to Heritage Landmark
Transforming S D Burman’s Cumilla home into a musical museum promises more than preserving bricks and murals. It offers an opportunity to enshrine music history in place, to give young musicians a tangible link to roots, to build communal pride. But the path ahead is steep. Legal clarity, funding, institutional cooperation, and community participation must align. If those foundations are laid well, Cumilla could become a pilgrimage for music lovers, a centre for scholarship, and a model for other heritage homes across Bangladesh. Let this project be more than a promise—it should become a song that resonates across time.