Cycling enthusiasts explore privately-managed museum in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: It has become a ritual every Sunday, but not without its share of adventure.

Thirteen cyclists rode via Chandaka for Khurda yesterday, amid dense fog and almost zero visibility. The short expedition of around 75 km took them to Radhagovinda Museum.

 

The privately-run museum being maintained by Gopal Krishna Das has numerous shelves filled with ancient artefacts from different parts the country. A lecturer in the Oriya department of PN (Autonomous) College in Khurda, he inherited this interest from his father and grandfather.

“The four to five rooms converted into a museum showcases almost every product you can think of from antique clocks, cameras, lock and keys, binoculars, betel nut cutters to palm leaf manuscripts,” said secretary of Bhubaneswar Cycling and Adventure Club (BCAC) Ajay.

The members interacted with Das and spent quality time with him before taking the highway back home, he said.

“We had earlier visited Bibhuti Patnaik, who has found a place in the Limca Book of Records for his collection of newspaper clippings, at Jatni. He showed us the magic note without any number printed on it, for which he is holding India Book of Records,” he said.

The Sunday morning rides also explore places around the city which has a potential for a day’s outing, he added.

“To break the monotony, these Sunday morning rides are often juxtaposed with something exciting which the team members can explore,” said Ajay.

The BCAC was registered in 2014 and since then the members have undertaken three international trips – Kataka (Cuttack) To Kathmandu, Vietnam-Cambodia International Cycle Trip and Bhubaneswar to Bhutan, besides many other places in India.

“We have 50 official members and 200 unofficial ones, who accompany the team on such trips occasionally,” Ajay added.