yet again ... getting lost ... then enjoying self-discovery ...

  Re-defining Museums A day-trip to this amazing place in Patna Some images An art installation at one of the open spaces amidst the buildings An empty gallery A gallery with many visitors - 3,000 turn up each day on an average This may be an island in the city - but one which is connected with its people  A 'library' for researchers  There was also a 'classroom' - a workshop on traditional Mithila painting in natural colours was underway Staff kept the spaces clean  These photos in these frames kept changing  The museum has its share of surprises - and they work   Like the museum at Allahabad this too has space devoted to the Bideshiyas or the Batoiyas  Only this one was more interactive and had technology stamped all over  What would happen to our history if Alexander Cunnigham and Huen Tsang were to suddenly disappear? Same that would happen to our lives if tea and coffee went missing? I enjoyed trying my hand at the interactive installati...

Weaving and sarees; both have intricate relationship with the town ~ Banarasi weaving as we were told ‘ is making a slow but sure comeback ’ ~ In its own way the place accords respect to weaving ~ Makes people like me aware to the magic, to the art, to the colours and more ~ The place boasts of a carpet section as well ~ A beauty of a carpet stands out here; it depicts the moon ( and its reflection ); that moment onwards I ( a self confessed moon-lover ) began seeing carpets differently ~ The section has a projector with sensors; as one walks on the carpet projected on the floor, the carpets folds up ~ Banaras has much more in its repertoire than sarees; this museum makes one aware of the diversity ~ And what quality ~ Talks with the staff revealed that some products have been commissioned while some garnered from other Museums in the country ~ A new generation museum with touch screens ( which work ) and also a toilet which has sensor driven lights ( fir...

Making history come alive The Hindu – EDGE – published this piece on 22 nd January, 2018. It is an abridged version of the piece published by Teacher Plus in its November 2017 issue. The piece in EDGE here and Teacher Plus here . Thanks are due to Shalini and The Hindu. ‘ She is not interested in museums ’, a friend said, of his daughter. He left me wondering. The history lover in me was not very happy. I frequent museums and try to savour those at places I visit. Here I speak not just of large and exquisite collections like the ones at the Prince of Wales Museum in Bombay but also of smaller museums. Museums in capitals of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland have taught me about the homes and festivals of people there, the clothes they once wove and wore, their fishing and cultivation practices and more. Today, we also have privately owned museums. Some of them like the textile and vessel museums at Ahmedabad boast of very focused and novel collections. Then, of...

Museums as learning spaces This piece is published in the November 2017 issue of Teacher Plus here . Thanks are due to the team at Teacher Plus and the museums all over for allowing my love for history to not only stay alive but flourish.  ‘ She is not interested in museums ’, a friend said, of his daughter. He left me wondering. The history lover in me was not very happy. I frequent museums and try to savour those at places I visit. Here I speak not just of large and exquisite collections like the ones  at the Prince of Wales Museum in Bombay o r the National Museum in New Delhi. I have learnt of Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland from museums in their capitals. They have taught me about the homes and festivals of people there, the clothes they once wove and wore, their fishing and cultivation practices and more. Today we also have a range of private museums. Some of these like the textile  and vessel museums  at Ahmedabad boast of very focused and nove...