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An Exercise in Excise

By on September 17, 2014
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Take a trip into a surprisingly exciting past where smugglers come alive and discover a unique facet of Goa’s history at the only customs museum in the country – the INDIAN CUSTOMS AND CENTRAL EXCISE MUSEUM in Panaji

Museums offer unique gateways to the past, which extend beyond tales and into artifacts that lend tangibility to the days gone by. Goa has its fair share of tributes to the past, from heritage houses, churches, temples, and mosques, to more formal institutions which house artifacts and display age old traditions. And Goa has one of these institutions that is nowhere else in the country but here – the only customs museum in India. 

The Indian Customs and Central Excise Museum in Panaji, housed in the heritage Blue Building, was inaugurated on July 25, 2009 by then Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of then Chief Minister Digamber Kamat and the Chairman Central Board of Excise and Customs P C Jha.
Spread over two floors, the museum has a host of interesting exhibits which highlight the history and traditions of the Customs and Central Excise Department over the years. The collection and display has been curated by Dr S S Biswas, the advisor to the Central Board of Excise and Customs (Museum) and the Reserve Bank of India (Museums), both under the Union Ministry of Finance.

It is the first of its kind in India and Asia. V P C Rao, commissioner of customs and excise in Goa says, “The idea of converting this heritage building into the Indian Customs and Central Excise Museum is to provide the common man with facts about the department’s long history in the service of the nation through guided information, education and entertainment. It sheds light on the theme of the ‘never-ending battle between the smugglers/tax evaders and the duty man’. This museum will promote the common man’s voluntary tax compliance; as well as his assistance to the enforcement agencies to detect and prevent economic offenses.”


Read the full article in 'Viva Goa' magazine copy.
Viva Goa magazine is now on stands. Available at all major book stalls and supermarkets in Goa.

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