Nilgiris Documentation Centre opposes move to set up museum at abandoned cinchona factory

UDHAGAMANDALAM: The Nilgiris Documentation Centre (NDC) has opposed the proposal by the Tamil Nadu forest department to establish a museum at the abandoned cinchona factory in Naduvattam.

The department intends to create a tea museum, a history museum dedicated to cinchona from the pre-independence era, and a recreation of the ancient jail that once existed in Naduvattam. However, the NDC has argued that the historical significance of the Chinese connection and the so-called ancient jail in Naduvattam should be preserved rather than transformed into a theme park experience. The NDC has asserted that the history of cinchona is no longer relevant and that any alterations or additions to the existing site would violate heritage preservation regulations. The NDC has pointed out that the proposed museums’ plight will also be like that of the tribal museum near Nanjanad, which was set up with huge funds in the 1980s, the John Sullivan Museum in Kotagiri and the tea museum in Naduvattam, which are in a state of neglect. “Too many projects and funds have been wasted in the district in the name of tribal culture. It would appear that there is a vested interest in keeping these people in a ‘primitive’ state even after 78 years of freedom and progress,” said NDC director Dharmalingam Venugopal in a press release.