A new museum was built for the newly independent nation in 1955, the foundation stone was laid by our very loved and first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and now the same museum is getting demolished very soon! In this article we shall delve on the early makings of the National Museum.
This is the story of the National Museum and the people involved in setting it up a few decades ago. The museum came about from an exhibition that travelled to London in 1948. The exhibition was for the British audience to get an idea about the exotic colony that was a part of the British regime. The exhibition housed some of the most amazing archaeological and artistic finds of the conquered country that left the visitors in London in awe.
After getting the news of its grand reception in London, Jawaharlal Nehru decided that the displayed artefacts must come back to India and be showcased to its people at a temporary exhibition and location, the halls of Rashtrapati Bhawan at Rasina Hall. This very exhibition laid the premise upon which the National Museum now stands.
The National Museum was designed by GB Deolalikar, the first chief architect of the Central Public Works Department and was constructed by Bhagwat Singh, the museum was never truly completed and had opened its doors in 1960. The last phase of the construction was bound to happen in 2017, however now the entire space stands only to be demolished next year as part of the larger central vista plan. The idea behind the museum was to provide the newly free Indian people a sense of nationhood and patriotic fervour. It was set up to celebrate our very own cultural heritage and also find our ground as a newly independent nation. Dr Kavita Singh states in the The Idea of a National Museum, that the museum was “to celebrate the ancient culture of a young state” and It was “an act of great symbolic importance.”
The creation of the museum was an ambitious and costly endeavour, leaving no detail overlooked. To construct this impressive edifice, the finest stone and teak wood were imported. Jawaharlal Nehru played a crucial role in the museum’s establishment, corresponding extensively with various Princely States’ rulers. His letters sought the loan of objects previously gifted to the London exhibition, intended for display in the National Museum, accessible to the general public. While some states graciously agreed, others insisted on the return of their artefacts to their regions, declining permission for loan.
Considerable deliberation went into the selection of the inaugural director for the National Museum. Jawaharlal Nehru sought an accomplished professional in the field of Museum studies to lead this ambitious project. To the surprise of many, Dr. Grace Morley, a distinguished American scholar and former director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, was chosen. Dr. Morley envisioned the National Museum with a Euro-centric theme, and the current exhibits reflect her plans from the 1950s. Since its inception, the museum’s layout, display, and categorization have seen minimal changes. Visitors today experience the museum much like our ancestors did in the 20th century.
From a curatorial standpoint, Dr. Morley implemented a dual categorization for Indian art at the National Museum. The first segment traces a chronological timeline, commencing with the discoveries from the Harappan civilization and progressing through the Kushana, Gupta, and Mediaeval periods. The second segment focuses on categorization by crafts, encompassing painting, arms and armour, vernacular art forms, numismatics, decorative arts, and more. This approach organised the vast array of Indian art into a coherent and comprehensive exhibition, offering visitors insights into both historical progression and diverse artistic traditions. While this categorization method may have been suitable during the early stages of museum development, it now appears limited when viewed from different perspectives. Simplifying Indian art into straightforward categories served its purpose initially, but it may not be the most appropriate decision given the extensive collection at hand and the diverse audience the museum aims to serve. The evolving nature of art appreciation and scholarship calls for a more nuanced and inclusive approach to presenting the Indian artistic heritage.
In the upcoming years, special spaces were created to host national and international temporary exhibitions at the National Museum, to name a few would be the Everlasting Flame: Zoroastrianism in History and Imagination, The Body in Indian Art, seminal show by Naman Ahuja as well as India and the World: A History in Nine Stories, Cosmology to Cartography. These shows exhibited a large range of artefacts from across the nation and world, The National Museum over the years has pushed its boundaries to showcase the best of Indian art to its audiences. The museum also harboured a well-maintained two storey library and an auditorium that regularly hosts programmes for its visitors. Both the spaces serve as great places for scholars and laypersons to merge and engage with the museum artefacts and learn about Indian art in an effective and insightful manner.
However, the recent announcement of demolishing not just an appropriate space for Indian art but an architectural marvel that represents the aspirations of a new India has left many Indians in shock. The lingering question persists: Why is there a need to dismantle a structurally sound building? Manu scholars are worried about the transportation and storage of over 2 lakh objects within the museum. The timeline proposed to move the artefacts is also deemed irresponsible, as it may be impossible to fulfil the task by March of next year. No clear answers have been provided by the Ministry of culture, which has only aggravated the fears of the scholars and concerned art enthusiasts.
End of an Era: National Museum Facing Closure and Demolition
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