Hygienic maintenance of Manipur State Museum

Prof. Irabanta Singh *

Visitors looking in awe at some of the aretefacts put up at the State Museum in April 2009 :: Pix - TSE

The 47th foundation day of Manipur state museum was celebrated on 23rd September, 2016 at its auditorium. The celebration was attended by Art and Culture Commissioner and Art and Culture Director as Chief Guest and President respectively.

Speaking at the occasion, the commissioner said “Many portion of the State museum building have leaky roofs” (The Sangai Express, Sept 24, 2016).

The present writer and his student (RK Bhorot Singh) studied during 2002-04 aerobiological approaches to four different sites of the Manipur State museum viz
(i) indoor aeromycoflora of the museum main building,
(ii) aeromycoflora inside tribal textile showcases,
(iii) aeromycoflora inside showcases having musical instruments
(iv) aeromycoflora inside showcases having animal skull with horns and antlers and to provide remedial measures which encourages him to write the present article.

Methodology

Air sampling sites Burkard Personal Volumetric air sampler was employed at the four sampling sites.

i) Indoor aeromycoflora of the Manipur State Museum main building The most dominant fungal airspora types were Aspergilli-Penicilli group (9.36% in 2002-03 and 25.38% in 2003-04). Other common type were Mucor-Rhizopus group (12.01% in 2002-03 and 25.75 % in 2003-04), Cladosporium (10.70% in 2002-03 and 11.36% in 2003-04), Alternaria (4.26% in 2002-03 and 2.91% in 2003-04), Curvularia (3.65% in 2002-03 and 3.01% in 2003-04), and Nigrospora (3.13% in 2002-03 and 1.60% in 2003-04).

The   incidence of fungal airspora were maximum in the rainy season followed by winter season, summer season and retreating monsoon respectively. The main building of the museum was never free from fungal airspora.

ii) Aeromycoflora inside the tribal textile show cases of Manipur state museum The most dominant fugal airspora types were  Aspergilli- Penicilli group (36.21% in 2002-03 and 31.63% in 2003-04) followed by Mucor-Rhizopus group (16.94% in 2002-03, 4.42% n 2003-04), Ascospores (3.98% in 2002-03 and 3.74% in 2003-04), smut (2.99% in 2002-03 and 3.04% in 2003-04) and Scopulariopsis (2.65% in 2002-03 and 2.83% in 2003-04), Nigrospora (1.99% in 2002-03 and 1.76% in 2003-04).

Other common types were Geotrichum (1.32% in 2002-03 and 1.7% in 2003-04), Humicola (1.32% in 2002-03 and 2.72% in 2003-04) and Papullaria (1.32% in 2002-03 and 1.36% in 2003-04). The incidence of fungal airspora were maximum in rainy season followed by winter season, summer season and retreating monsoon respectively. The tribal textile showcases of Manipur state museum was never free from fungal airspora.

iii) Aeromycoflora inside showcases having musical instruments in the Manipur State Museum The most dominant fugal airspora types were  Aspergilli- Penicilli group (40.68% in 2002-03 and 12.04% in 2003-04) ,Cladosporium (5.45% in 2002-03 and 5.05% in 2003-04), other common types were Ascospores (3.18% in 2002-03 and 2.45% in 2003-04), Curvularia (2.04% in 2002-03 and 2.16% in 2003-04), Fusiform ascospores (2.04% in 2002-03 and 2.16% in 2003-04), Helminthosporium (3.63% in 2002-03 and 1.58% in 2003-04), Humicola (1.36% in 2002-03 and 1.45% in 2003-04), Nigrospora (2.50% in 2002-03 and 1.15% in 2003-04), Myrothecium (3.18% in 2002-03 and 1.15% in 2003-04.

The incidence of fungal airspora were maximum in rainy season followed by winter season, summer season and retreating monsoon respectively. The showcases having musical instrument of the Manipur state museum was never free from fungal airspora.

iv) Aeromycoflora inside showcases having animal skull with horns and antlers in the Manipur State Museum. The most dominant fugal airspora types were Aspergilli-Penicilli group (62.97% in 2002-03 and 58.29% in 2003-04) followed by Mucor-Rhizopus group (9.78% in 2002-03 and 9.4% in 2003-04), Ascospores (3.64% in 2002-03 and 3.25% in 2003-04).

Other common types were Cladosporium (2.88% in 2002-03 and 2.74% in 2003-04), Curvularia (2.11% in 2002-03 and 1.88% in 2003-04), Fusiform ascospores (1.92% in 2002-03 and 2.91% in 2003-04), Nigrospora (0.77% in 2002-03 and 1.36% in 2003-04), Periconia (0.77% in 2002-03 and 1.02% in 2003-04.).

The incidence of fungal airspora were maximum in rainy season followed by winter season, summer season and retreating monsoon respectively. The showcases having animal skull with horns and antlers of Manipur State Museum was never free from fungal airspora.

Discussion

The season played an important role in the distribution of fungal airspora at the four sampling sites of the Manipur State Museum building.

The rainy season was most important season with maximum abundance of fungal airspora followed by winter, summer and retreated season. As per the statement of the Commissioner, Art and Culture, Manipur, there are leakages in the roofs of the Manipur State Museum building, if the leakages are not sealed/repaired at an early date the precious materials kept in various showcases of the Manipur State Museum will be spoiled by these moulds because moisture inside the museum building will facilitate maximum growth of these harmful moulds.

Conclusion and recommendation

The sampling sites of the Manipur State museum building was never free from fungal airspora. As a tradition, the role of the museum is to collect objects and materials of the cultural, religious and historical importance, preserve them, research into them and present them to the public for the purpose of the education and enjoyment.

The presence of huge quantity of moulds will spoil the materials preserved in the museum. For hygienic maintenance of the objects kept in the Manipur State museum, the following techniques are recommended viz.,
(i) regular physical cleaning of objects kept in the museum and
(ii) fortnightly spraying of fungicides for checking fungal deterioration in the museum materials.