The reopened Acworth Leprosy Museum is worth a visit, just to see how history and society have changed attitudes towards patients

In the quiet lanes of Wadala is hidden a little-visited institution that’s almost a mirror to the attitude Indian society has had to leprosy, through the ages, the Acworth Leprosy Museum housed in one of the wards of the Acworth Municipal Hospital for Leprosy.

A joint venture of the Acworth Municipal Hospital and the Acworth Leprosy Hospital Research Society, substantially supported by The Sasakawa Memorial Health Foundation and The Nippon Foundation, Japan, the museum offers a thought-provoking display of photographs and documents. Prathiba Kathe, the project coordinator at the museum, says: “Our aim is to inform the public about a disease that is still a serious problem in our country.” The museum is open for public viewing on weekdays between 9 in the morning and 3.30 pm.

The museum, the extended part of which was inaugurated on the June 9 after some additions and revamp, has eight sections of displays including history and research material pertaining to leprosy. The museum, a one-of-its-kind in India, has each of the eight modules showing a different aspect of the disease and how it was dealt with in India.

The first section deals with the history of the Acworth Municipal Hospital for Leprosy, within the premises of which the museum is located. It gives details about the hospital, earlier known as the “Homeless Leper Asylum”, its inception, evolution and its inmates. Speaking about a section that gives information about the disease and the timeline of development in treatment, Pratibha says: “Through the information provided we want people to realize that the disease isn’t as dangerous as it is perceived to be.”

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