Satamile: Apart from being known for imparting quality education, Patala High School in Hindol block of Dhenkanal district is famous for its museum which houses clay idols and images.
It is the brainchild of the school’s headmaster Dhaneswar Sahu.
Dhaneswar lives in Mahalunda village under Hindol block. He joined Patala High School in 1984 as a teacher. He was promoted to the post of headmaster in 2012. Since then he has been discharging his duties sincerely.
When asked about the beginning of the museum, Dhaneswar said he had once visited the Children’s Park in Kolkata.
“I drew inspiration from the visit to set up a clay idols museum. I started working on it from my house. My wife Salila Sahu supported me in realizing my dream. I collected clay and other equipments and materials and started giving shape to my ideas,” he said.
Started in 2016, the museum was completed in 2018. It has idols of freedom fighters, poets, writers and social reformers. Apart from this, there are idols showing tribal lifestyle, the lifestyle of Eskimos, Odisha temple tradition, jobs of NCC, Scout, Guide and Junior Red Cross cadets, animals on the verge of extinction, etc.
What attracts children the most is some sets of idols so arranged as to tell stories with morals.
With the permission from the education department and administration, the museum was shifted from his house to the school November 14, 2018, on the occasion of Children’s Day. The then Sub-Collector Bhabesh Kumar Nayak inaugurated it.
“I am thankful to the staff and students who have been helping me in taking care of the museum. To see it, students and visitors from different parts of the district and out of the district are coming to the school. The museum helps students understand some difficult topics. In 2019, the school was awarded as the best school in the district at the district level Independence Day celebration. It gave me immense satisfaction. I have a wish to make the museum a larger one with addition of some more idols relating to different subjects and topics in coming days,” he added.
The school was established in 1981. Then there were classes from Class I to VIII. In 1998, Class IX and X were added.
PNN