Journalist Kangal Harinath Museum, Kushtia
Kangal Harinath was a journalist, newspaper editor, singer, writer, critic, teacher, social reformer, and an extraordinary personality of Bengali literature. He was the editor, journalist, and publicist of the famous “Grambarta Prakasak”. His original name was Shri Harinath Majumdar. He was nicknamed “Kangal” for his love and charitable activities towards helpless people. He boldly highlighted the oppression of the British and local landlords against the people of Bengal in his newspaper. He opened “MN Press” where he placed a printing machine called “Mathurnath Jantra”. He was very close to Lalon Shah. He was attacked several times for spreading the truth. He also had an incredible inclination toward Bengali literature. At that time, Kangal Harinath wrote so many books, but most remained unpublished and neglected. Although he devoted most of his life to public welfare, he is not widely known.
Journalist Kangal Harinath Museum Ticket Price-
The ticket price is only 10 Tk per person for Bangladeshi tourists, 200 Tk for SARRC country, and 500 Tk for foreign tourists.
Journalist Kangal Harinath Museum visiting time?
In summer–
Saturday-Wednesday Opening Time – 10:30 am – 5:30 pm.
Open on Fridays from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Closed on all public holidays and Thursdays
In winter–
Saturday-Wednesday Opening Time – 10:30 am – 5:30 pm
Open on Fridays from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
Public holidays and Thursdays are weekends.
Museum opening and closing time during Ramadan – 9:30 am to 3:00 pm.
Closed on Thursday and Friday during Ramadan
How to reach Kushtia-
You can easily reach Kushtia by both bus and train. If you go by bus you have to get down at Majampur bus stand and by train, you have to get down at Poradaha station.
By Bus–
Bus Method 1- From Gabtali, SB Super Deluxe, and Shyamoli Paribahan are good options. Fare 650-700 Tk per person (non AC). These buses will drop you at the Majampur bus stand in Kushtia. From Majampur Bus Stand you have to go to Alauddin Mor and then from Alauddin Mor, there are lots of vans, and autos directly take you to the museum.Fare 40-50 Tk per person.
Bus Method 2- Go to Kumarkhali via Daulatdia from Gabtali Bus Terminal. Diganta Paribahan, Lalan Paribahan, Zaman Paribahan, and Rabeya Paribahan buses will take you to Kumarkhali. It will take 4-4.5 hours. Rent 400-450 taka per person. From Kumarkhali you can go to Kushtia’s Alauddin Mor by CNG/Auto.
Bus method 3- Local bus goes from Gabtali to Paturia, fare 80-100 taka. Then you must cross Daulatdia Ghat by Ferry/Launch from Paturia. Ferry fare- 25 taka. Then you can go to Kushtia either by train or bus from Daulatdia. Trains at 1 pm and 3 pm. The local train fare is Tk 30, Intercity train fare is Tk 85. Apart from the train, you will get the Padma or Garai bus from Daulatdia, which fare is 150-180 taka. Those who have less budget can go this way.
By Train– There are 3 trains from Dhaka to Kushtia.
1) Benapole Express- Departs Dhaka at 11.15 PM and reaches Poradaha at 5 AM. Leaves Poradaha at 3.50 PM and reaches Dhaka at 9 PM. Closing day – Wednesday.
2) Sundarban Express- If you want to go by the morning train, you can travel by Sundarban Express. It departs Poradaha at 8:15 AM and reaches Poradaha Station at 2:00 PM. The train stops at Poradaha Station at 1:35 PM and reaches Dhaka at 9:00 AM.
Dhaka-Khulna-Closing day is Wednesday
Khulna – Dhaka – Closing day is Tuesday.
3) Chitra Express – Holiday is Monday. Departs Poradaha at 7:00 PM and reaches Poradaha Station at 12:15 PM. The train departs Poradaha at 12:24 PM and reaches Dhaka at 5:30 PM.
The train ticket price is Tk 360 (lowest) per person (decorated chair). Book your train ticket
How to go to Journalist Kangal Harinath Museum-
Route 1- To visit Kangal Harinath Museum you have to come to Kushtia first. It is located near the Kumarkhali Municipality of Kushtia. If you get off at Mazampur bus stand by bus, you have to take an auto from there to Lahini Battala. Rent 30-40 Tk. Take a rickshaw from Lahini Bot-Tola to Kumarkhali Bridge. Rickshaw fare-80-100 taka. You can directly reach the museum by taking an auto from the bridge. Fare is Tk 30 per person.
Route 2- Again you can go to Kangal Harinath Museum by getting down from the Mazampur bus stand through Alauddin Mor. In that case, you have to go from Majampur by auto to Alauddin Mor, then from Alauddin Mor by van/auto directly to the museum. Fare- 40-50 taka per person.
Where to stay at night in Kushtia?
You will not find any residential hotel to stay in Kumarkhali, Kushtia. For an overnight stay, you have to move to Majampur in Kushtia. You will find some good and safe and quality hotels there at very low prices. Let me share some hotels like Hotel Al Hayat (01731-687553, 01312-665556), Hotel Sunmoon (01316-035091, 01837-760722), Hotel Tayiba (01763645145), Hotel Desha (01720-510330) etc. These all are located in Majampur in Kushtia. To stay in these hotels, you may have to pay 500-3000 Tk per night. However, during the Lalon Festival, the rent of these hotels increases a bit.
Kushtia Food Hotel-
Kushtia is not only famous for tourism but also for food. Sweet, Banana cup curd, Kalo Beef bhuna, kulfi malai, Tiler(sesame) khwaja are very well-known and delicious dishes in Kushtia. I found some famous and good quality hotels like Hotel Bismillah, Hotel Biswas, Hotel Maubon (famous for sweets), Liaquat Ali’s Dairy Hotel (famous for dairy products), etc. There are also numerous hotels and street foods here. Hotel Biswas and Bismillah are adjacent to each other at Mazampur Bus Stand. Hotel Maubon, Liaquat is located near Dairy Kushtia Manupalcity. These hotels open for tourists early in the morning. Besides, around 5:00 pm or 5:30 pm, you will find various types of street food at Kataikhana Mor, NS Road, in front of the college.
Due to its location on a different route from other tourist destinations in Kushtia, many tourists leave this museum without visiting it. More than that, this museum is unknown to many outsiders of Kumarkhali Upazila. Since Kangal Harinath is a wonderful talented person in my view, I was eager to visit his museum earlier. It was tough to find out this place. This place is very close to Kumarkhali Municipality. As soon as I got out of the auto, I saw the signboard of Kangal Harinath Museum on the main gate. Next to the ticket counter. I saw a woman Issuing tickets. Later I came to know that this lady is the fifth descendant of Harinath. The whole museum is made of red brick. As soon as you enter, you will see a sculpture of Kangal Harinath and a beautiful Royal Poinciana tree. On the second floor is the museum, there is a very nice seating arrangement next to it, and the restroom is on the ground floor. You must leave your bag and baggage in a designated area before entering the museum and photography is strictly prohibited inside.
The interior is very nicely decorated. First, on the right-hand side, I saw a list of Kangal Harinath’s earlier and later descendant’s names hanging on a wall along with pictures of the original manuscripts of the “Grambarta Patrika” (Newspaper). A lot of the books were printed by his press. “Mathurnath printing machine” of his MN press, blocks, ink, seals, letters, and other parts are kept here. His family refused to hand over the original parts used by him to the government. Later, in July 2023, the government agreed to fulfill all the demands and transferred all the printing machines and equipment to the museum from the journalist’s residence. This agreement was signed in exchange for 20 lakh Tk including employing 2 family members.. Bangladesh-India film “Moner Manush” is showing on a small screen. It will not take more than 15-20 minutes to visit the whole museum. I got out of there and looked around. There is no traffic here, you can spend your time as you wish. Harinath’s original house is not far from the museum. Next to the house is the dilapidated and broken MN Press. At that time it was the only press in Kushtia district where Kangal Harinath worked. The press still carries the memory of the journalist candidly. When you come here, you will see where the “Mathurnath printing machine” and its parts remained neglected and disrespected for a long time. The printing press which used to talk about people’s rights and stand against oppressors is now a haunted place. Before returning, don’t forget to visit this place where the memory of this legendary writer and journalist of Bengali literature is enshrined.
Cautions and Tips-
1) Know the opening and closing schedule and then go.
2) Photography, smoking, spitting, and talking on mobile phones are prohibited inside the gallery
3) One-day entry tickets are not admissible on other days.
4) It is forbidden to touch the signs.
5) Carry the ticket from the museum till the exit.
6) Ticket sales are stopped 30 minutes before the museum closes.
Places to visit in Kushtia-
- Rabindra Kuthibari
- Jagati Station
- Mohini mil
- Tagore lodge
- Lalon Festival
- The House of Mir Mosharaf Hossarin
- Kushtia Manupalicity