Kolkata: Four iconic colonial buildings in the city, namely the Currency Building, Metcalfe Hall, the Belvedere House and the Victoria Memorial Hall have been refurbished, so that they can emerge as vibrant cultural space in the city. The renovation work has involved setting up of new exhibitions and curation of old galleries in these heritage structures. "The Ministry of Culture plans to develop cultural spaces around iconic buildings in metro cities. The cities of Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Varanasi are being taken up for the project. Kolkata is Indias cultural capital and we feel that there is a lot of scope for development of museum and cultural space here," said Raghvendra Singh, CEO of Development of Museums and Cultural Spaces, Government of India. The Old Currency Building at Dalhousie has been thoroughly restored and will be opened to public as an ode to the art of Bengal, showcasing art across three centuries. There will be three floors of exhibition space with 13 well designed galleries, where over 600 art pieces will be on display. The Belvedere House in Alipore that was lying in a derelict condition since 2004 after the entire collection of National Library was shifted to Bhasa Bhawan, has seen a major facelift. Now, Indira Gandhi National Centre of Art is paying tribute to the Bengal renaissance and Rabindranath Tagore, with a very special exhibition showcasing the original works of the Hungarian mother-daughter duo Elizabeth Sass Brunner and Elizabeth Brunner. Paintings on 100 years of Shantiniketan and old photographs of Kolkata by painters like Raja Deen Dayal and Shambhu Saha are part of the exhibition as well. The Metcalfe House located on the junction of Strand Road and Hare Street has been refurbished as well and now hosts two exhibitions on 100 years of Bengali Cinema and Ami Kolkata- Its History and Culture. The VMH will also unveil seven of its renovated galleries – the Entrance, Royal and Portrait Galleries. Four interconnected galleries of the first floor will also be opened from Sunday. Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate these four renovated heritage structures to the people of the city on Saturday, when he will be visiting the Currency Building.

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