Bhubaneswar: Seventy years after legendary Odia playwright Ganakabi Baishnab Pani’s death, his birthplace at Kothapada village in Mahanga block remains without a memorial. On his birth anniversary on Tuesday, his great-great-grandson Chandrabhanu Acharya refused to display the playwright’s belongings, protesting the government’s failure to fulfil promises of establishing a museum.

Every year, Acharya displayed the memorabilia on a cot outside his house for visitors paying tribute to the literary icon. This year, he kept them locked inside an old tin trunk.

“If the government and administration cannot preserve these memories, let them remain inside the broken tin trunk,” Acharya said.

Born on Kumar Purnima in 1882, Pani revolutionised Odia folk theatre through musical dramas addressing caste discrimination, superstition, social inequality and women’s status. Beginning his theatrical journey with Meghanad Badha in 1903, he went on to write more than 100 musical dramas blending mythology with contemporary social realities. He died on May 10, 1956.

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His belongings, including spectacles, manuscripts, an inkpot, pen, scissors, rosary, whistle and rudraksha beads, remain in the family’s custody.

A foundation stone for a proposed museum was laid around two years ago through the efforts of local MLA Sarada Pradhan. However, construction remains stalled. Pradhan said government funds could not be used for the project on family-owned land because ownership records remained in individual family members’ names.

“We have discussed the matter with the family and will soon establish clarity and build the museum,” Pradhan said.

Meanwhile, the playwright’s heritage awaits meaningful preservation.