Museums of India Panel discussion at International Museum Expo focuses on ‘De-museumisation of Indian Museums’
New Delhi/IBNS: Museums in India need to find a way to merge the tangible and the intangible heritages to make knowledge gathering more people friendly, according to Dr. Sachichidanand Joshi, Member Secretary, Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts.
He was speaking at a panel discussion - 'De-museumisation of Indian Museums' – organised on the final day of the three day long International Museum Expo recently held in New Delhi to mark the International Museum Day.
Dr Joshi pointed out that museums need to be redefined and reimagined to better explain the Indian context.
The expo, organised by the Union Ministry of Culture was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The prime minister also unveiled the plan for what is set to be the world’s largest museum, ‘Yuge Yugeen Bharat’, which will capture 5,000 years of India’s history.
Apart from Dr Joshi, others present at the panel discussion were Arijit Dutta Choudhury, Director General of National Council of Science Museums and Director in charge, Indian Museum; Rajeev Sethi, designer and art curator; Manuel Rabaté, Director of Louvre Abu Dhabi; Professor Sajay Jha, former regional director of IGNCA, Regional Centre Ranchi; and Dr. Achal Pandya, Head, Department of Conservation, IGNCA.
Dr. Joshi also said that IGNCA has been documenting the customs and rituals prevalent in India, such as documentation being done at the Brihadeshwara Temple in Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu).
Dr. Pandya said to celebrate the International Museum Day, the Conservation Laboratory of IGNCA also organized a workshop on ‘Conservation of Art’, which was also a part of the International Museum Expo.
