Kolkata: A nearly century-old bench vise, an aircraft camera used in the Second World War, a wooden model of a piston assembly, an original Benioff horizontal seismograph, and other rare historical artifacts have been recovered from junk, restored, and are now displayed at a newly inaugurated micromuseum in one of India's oldest engineering colleges—the Indian Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology (IIEST), Shibpur, formerly BE College, Shibpur.
Micromuseum at Slater Hall
The micromuseum is housed in the historic Slater Hall, adjacent to the institute's archive. The archive was inaugurated last year to preserve institutional memory and trace the institute's journey. Director VMSR Murthy stated, "The micromuseum will act as a bridge between legacy and innovation. Students will learn about the institute's contribution as well as how engineering science has transformed over the decades."
Curated by Bivore Das
Assistant registrar Bivore Das, who curated the micromuseum, explained, "The bench vise is an antique and one of the oldest equipment displayed at the museum. It was made by J Parkinson’s & Sons and was famously known as the ‘Perfect Vise’. The Public Works Department at Shibpur workshop was handed over to the education department in April 1897. The bench vise probably belonged to that time. The aircraft camera belonged to the US Army during the Second World War. It was made in the US by Eastman Kodak Company. These cameras were used during bombings from aircraft to capture the exact spot where the bomb was dropped to ascertain whether the bomb blasted or not."
Historical Significance
According to Das, during the Second World War, a large number of technicians for the Munition Factories, Armed Services, and the Technical Wing of the Air Force were trained in the college workshops, which served as a combined center under a special technical scheme. "Dr. Pandya, the college’s first Indian principal, piloted the scheme throughout the entire eastern region and then joined Munition Production as the in-charge. Temporary barracks and classrooms were built in November 1940, and training started in February 1941. Probably, when they left, they did not take these things with them. This camera was found in the carpenter shop during a clean-up drive and was restored for display," he added.
Other Unique Artifacts
Among the other old and unique artifacts is a 20th-century wooden model of a piston assembly made by Manchester-based company G Cussons, along with various scientific and engineering instruments such as a leveling instrument, an old typewriter machine, a talking machine, an old telephone receiver, and a franking machine. The earthquake measuring instrument, an original Benioff horizontal seismograph built by Victor Hugo Benioff of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 1932, is also displayed at the micromuseum.
TOI had earlier reported about India’s oldest seismograph, which was recovered from the wood godown and restored. "All these equipment belonged to BE College, Shibpur. It was Caltech that gifted the seismograph to the geophysical laboratory of the institute, then known as BE College, Shibpur, marking India’s entry into the global network of seismic observatories," said Das.
Inspiration for Students
Board of governors chairperson Tejaswini Ananth Kumar expressed, "The displayed items should become inspiration for students for innovation, to do something bigger for the country and for the field of technology."
