Delhi: With historical storeroom treasures, ASI hopes to revive Children's Museum

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

The Capital is a repository of monuments, architecture and history but seldom do the storerooms of these monuments become the topic of conversation — until now, when all things vintage and forgotten will come alive to reclaim space at the Children's Museum in Siri Fort.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has been digging the storerooms of the Red Fort and the Purana Qila to find replicas of these historical pieces and install them across the museum.
Opened especially for children in 2011 with an aim to apprise them of India's rich cultural history, the museum was closed for two years between 2020 and 2022 for repair works as well as for planning installation of sculptures in its lawns, an ASI official said aware of the matter said.
Those plans, however, never came through. ASI did not have enough funds, said officials.
'In the face of severe fund crunches, we decided to get our hands on whatever important sculptures we could get and start installing them at the museum,' the official added. ASI is primarily funded by the Union ministry of culture.
Surrounded by beautifully mowed lawns, the two-storey museum building primarily hosts three rooms: one where important sculptures are kept, the second for educational purposes, while the third room is where ASI screens its documentaries. Most visits are in the form of school trips, officials said, but admitted that the footfall has been low.
'We are hoping that the footfall will improve with all the new additions,' an ASI official said.
Right opposite to the entrance of the museum lies a newly installed replica model of the Red Fort.
'This replica, along with a model showing the plan of the Red Fort, has been procured from the Purana Qila's storeroom,' the official said.
The much smaller model depicting the plan of the Red Fort lies in the main room of the museum, along with the other sculptures like that of Shaalabhanjika, which celebrates the culmination of the artistic activity flourishing in Madhya Pradesh, Mahishashura Mardini, an epithet of the Hindu goddess Durga, and the Standing Buddha.
Existing sculptures in the room are made by students of the College of Arts and Crafts, Patna, under the direction of KK Mohammad, the erstwhile superintendent archaeologist of ASI's Delhi wing.
The Red Fort plan, according to the official, will soon be installed on a proper table for visitors. Currently, it has been kept on the floor near the entrance of the room.
The lawns remain peppered with smaller sculptures procured from the storeroom of Purana Qila, and some even from storage of the museum — all of these will be installed by ASI soon. These include a Standing Vishnu or Sthanak Vishnu, Vyala, which consists of a composite leonine creature with the head of a tiger, elephant, bird, or other animal, Nayika sculpture inspired by the Vishwanath temple in Khajuraho, Madhya Pradesh, and a sculpture of one of the Jain Tirthankars.
Then there are pieces from the courageous story of India's fight to freedom.
'Three wall mountings of freedom fighters Ashfaqulla Khan, Bhagat Singh, and Shivaram Rajguru found from the Red Fort storeroom have been installed on a wall inside the museum.. Two sculptures of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, have also been procured from the same storeroom, and are currently in one of the lawns,' the ASI official said.
'All of these will be properly installed after which it will feel more coherent,' the official said, pointing to the lawns, which currently look like an artist's gallery awaiting curation.
Original plan
The original plan had included commissioning and installing new sculptures of monuments and important historical figures on the lawns.
'The plan never went through and finally in 2022, we wanted to open up the museum properly because there was no point in keeping it closed,' the official said.
However, as part of the upgrade, a second hall was built for educational purposes — a part of it recreates how visitors often destroy heritage monuments by scribbling on walls and putting up encroachments.
'We will not be installing anything in this room. Right behind the building, however, we have put two huge models depicting temples from South India procured from the National Museum in Delhi,' the official said.
In the coming days, ASI will install all the procured pieces as the agency hopes that the renewed efforts will see more children take an interest in the museum.
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