Mumbai: A day at the museums

Hindustan Times

18-05-2025

A MOTHER'S WORLD: The Aai Museum at Vile Parle
The Aai Museum, in Vile Parle, houses 200- to 300-year-old artefacts, collected from households of Maharashtra's royals, that women used every day. It is dedicated to mothers and celebrates the domestic hum of their lives – there are articles they used to cook, raise children, and take care of their families and themselves. These include metal betel-nut crackers, farmandan (fabric letter holders), rattles, paan-daans, combs, cooking vessels, lanterns, a palanquin, etc.
When hotelier Vithal Kamat was eight years old, his neighbours, the prominent Pant Sachiv family of the Bhor princely state of Maharashtra, had several old vessels which they would enthusiastically show the child. Kamat was fascinated by these objects and started collecting them when he grew up. 'I have been collecting these for 64 years now, from royals, mainly of Maharashtra, and important people who worked for them,' says Kamat. These include the royal doctor of the princely state of Maharashtra, the royals of Sangli and others. The museum, which is inside the Orchid Hotel, near terminal one of the domestic airport, has 581 antiques on display.
Must-see: The most astonishing object on display is a decorative temple lamp, which even when reversed doesn't leak the oil used to burn the wick. It is made of panchdhatu or five metals -- typically gold, silver, copper, iron, and zinc, considered auspicious in Hinduism.
Access: Between 10.30 am to 4.30 pm, except on Sundays. Entry is free. The museum is open to the public by appointment.
Write to: [e-mail] for a visit.
24/7 MUSEUM: ArtBeat of New India at T2, CSMIA
With an expansive collection of art and sculptures, this museum -- ArtBeat of New India -- is open to those travelling from Terminal 2 of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA).
The museum stretches across a 3.2-kilometre corridor at the departure and arrival areas of Terminal 2, and has 2,700 artefacts on display, reflecting India's rich heritage, artistic traditions and contemporary art practices.
'Moving Constant', an installation made of Tanjore Art, is one of the most attractive works on display. Created by artists N Ramachandran and V Anamika, the installation pays homage to people's physical and spiritual journeys, drawing inspiration from and reinterpreting the Mysore and Tanjore styles of painting, says the spokesperson for CSMIA. It references the vahanas or the vehicles of the gods.
Blending traditional iconography with contemporary interpretations, the installation represents the timelessness of movement through time and space. 'It resonates with the younger generation, offering a perspective on how traditional narratives can align with today's fast-moving, digitally connected world,' adds the spokesperson.
Another sought-after work is artist Akshay Rajpurkar's 'Recycled Mumbai'. It depicts the aerial view of Mumbai's diverse landscape, crafted entirely from recycled materials. It shows the city's buildings, roadways, waterways, parks, and industrial areas, highlighting environmental concerns that resonate with eco-conscious youngsters.
Must-see: Murals, installations and antiques.
Access: Entry is free for everyone travelling via Terminal 2 of the airport.
THE BEST AT BEST MUSEUM: BEST Museum at Anik Depor, Wadala
BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) Undertaking's museum in Anik Depot, near Wadala, takes you back to the Bombay of 1874 when trams had wooden benches with moveable back supports, and were pulled by horses. The first one ran from Sassoon Dock to Pydhonie. It couldn't turn and ran on a single track. So, the horses were moved from one end to another. The tram's moving, miniature structure is on display at the museum.
Back in the day, there were single-horse and double-horse trams that ran from 1874 to 1909. It started with approximately 200 horses in what was then called Bombay Tramway Company Ltd. When they were discontinued 'because of growing traffic and new technology, there were about 1,360 horses in the fleet,' says the BEST spokesperson from the museum.
On display are also the tickets which cost one to six annas. There is also a collection of currency notes of 70-plus countries and coins from 80-plus countries, all dropped by passengers in the trams and buses over the years. Another major draw is the life-size model of the first double-decker bus, from 1937. You can take a selfie sitting in the driver's seat, blowing the hand-held horn.
Must-see: A miniature, two-horse-drawn tram, a giant, dome-shaped signal and a selfie stop at the first double-decker bus of the city.
Access: Monday – 7 am to 3.30 pm, Tuesday to Sunday -- 9 am to 5 pm.
Entry is free.
WR's SILVER STORY: Western Railway Heritage Gallery at Churchgate Station
The glistening sets of silver ice buckets, butter jars, tea cups and saucers take pride of place at the Western Railway Heritage Gallery, opposite the Churchgate station.
Intriguing, isn't it? What are silver utensils doing among train models, railway signals and badges?
When the British ran the Indian railways, they had a very posh glass saloon for the director general of the railways. This was an entire coach with a glass body, which could be attached to any train. The chief of the railways would travel in this private suite and check the workings, cracks and other anomalies on a particular track, taking notes and making plans to fix the errors. As it was a demanding job, he was pampered with the very best. All his beverages and food were served in silver utensils – and the ones at the gallery are proof of the luxe lives led by English saabs then.
Another interesting display at the gallery are prints of four black and white photographs that showcase the Churchgate station in its different avatars. In 1870, the station resembled a Swiss chalet or an English Inn with just two platforms.
The station was rebuilt in 1876 with a grander building merging Indian and colonial architecture. The other platforms and structures were built over the years.
Must-see: Everything that defines the glory days of the Raj.
Access: Monday to Friday, 11 am to 5.30 pm. Entry is free.
ON THE WORLD'S BUSIEST RAILWAY: Heritage Gallery at CST
Sahib, Sind and Sultan. It's not an old movie, but has star power. On April 16, 1853, these three locomotive engines hauled a 14-berth train, the first-ever of Bombay, from Bori Bunder, now Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CST), to Thane.
The whistling, chugging train left behind a trail of black smoke from its coal engines, while an ecstatic crowd cheered its first send-off with a 21-gun salute. Memory of that excitement can be relived at CST's Heritage Gallery with the press of a button. Push the red and maroon dots, and the miniature model of the GIP 1 chugs out black smoke. GIP, or the British Great Indian Peninsula Railway, was the company that launched the first trains in Mumbai. The carriages were brought to India from UK.
The gallery has a copy of a rare photograph that shows a train cart being lifted by a pulley; there is a box full of glass negatives, used to develop old photographs that documented the working of the railway system back in the day.
The gallery also has a collection of old badges of railway personnel, leather belts, old tickets, hand-held signals and wooden salary boxes, and copper ladles with long handles used to serve water to train passengers.
Must-see: The Heritage Gallery at CST chronicles the stories of the city's lifeline -- its local trains.
Access: With prior permission or during the daily heritage walks of the CST building. Tickets can be bought on BookMyShow.com.
EMBRACING PARADOXES: Parados Museum at Azad Maidan
Splashes of vibrant pink, yellow and red, merged with psychedelic designs, draw your attention as soon as you walk into India's first Paradox Museum, which opened in October last year, near Azad Maidan, Fort. Science mingles with fun in the museum's 50 installations and experiences, spread across a 10,000-sq-ft space, apt for the 'Gram and a good time with family and friends.
Consider this: You step into cleverly designed rooms while your companion takes your photographs at a designated spot. The outcome is a number of irreverent photographs, in which you appear upside down, as two-dimensional figures, submerged in water, or floating in space. Alongside, you also learn about scientific principles and tricks behind these illusions. 'This has made the Paradox Museum a sought-after experience in its twelve global outposts, including Oslo and Paris, Shanghai and Las Vegas,' says Harris Douros, CEO of the museum. It's an engaging space for children and the young as it is interactive and full of surprises.
Must-see: The show-stopper is the Water Paradox, where you enter an all-blue room, only to appear completely submerged in water. Likewise, in the Reversed Room you appear hanging upside down from the roof or walking straight on the wall. All thanks to some ingenious construction and lighting tricks.
Access: 11am-8pm (Mon-Fri); 11am-8:30pm (Weekends)
Tickets: ₹599 for adults; ₹550 for senior citizens and kids from three to 12.
Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum - THE FIRST BOATS AT THE BOMBAY HARBOUR
The Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, next to Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Botanical Udyan and Zoo, opened to the public in 1918, making it the oldest such establishment in the city.
The show-stealer here is the collection of miniature models of the first boats at the Bombay harbour. A dredger named Kuphus was presented to the museum by the Bombay Port Trust Authorities in 1914. The large boats were used to gather sediment from the sea bed, which was used in construction.
Access: Between 10 am to 5.30 pm, except Wednesdays and a few public holidays. Entry fee is between ₹10 to ₹20, depending on the age of the visitors.
With approximately 80,000 objects, dating back to around 4,000 years, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) is the largest museum in the city, opened to public in 1922.
One of the museum's crowd pullers is a mummy in its Egyptian section. 'Annually, two lakh children and students arrive to see the mummy,' says Sabyasachi Mukherjee, director general of the museum. The mummy dates back to the Ptolemaic period of ancient Egypt (305 BCE–30 BCE), and is believed to be that of a child.
Access: From 10.15 am to 6 pm, except a few public holidays. Entry fee ranges between ₹35 to ₹150. Special concession is available for students with valid IDs.
RBI Monetary Museum - WHERE MONEY TALKS
The RBI Monetary Museum traces the history of money since the 10th millennium BCE to the present day, with rare coinage, commodity money and currency notes. 'This monetary museum has a small but one of the most stellar collections of its kind in the country,' says curator Steffi Deori.
Among the interesting artefacts is the commodity money, the Qi knife of China, dating back to the 4th Century BCE, known as a Xue. It is a knife, made of copper, but was never used as one; instead, it circulated as a coinage. They also served as symbols of state authority and identity, and were more commonly used in the states of Qi, Yan and Zhao.
The first gold coin issued by the Kushana king Vasudeva in the 2nd Century AD, rests under high security.
Access: 11 am to 5 pm, except Monday. Entry is free.
Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum - INTO THE WORLD OF PARSIS AND ZOROASTRIANS
The recently restored and opened Framji Dadabhoy Alpaiwalla Museum, or the Parsi museum, showcases the heritage of Parsis of India and Zoroastrians of Iran.
It houses a collection of cuneiform bricks and tablets from Babylon, Mesopotamia and Susa dating back to 4,000 to 5,000 BCE.
There are Parsi garas, traditional textiles embroidered in China, antique furniture, lamps and the circular structure of the modern-day Tower of Silence, used for sky burials, among others. An interesting object is a Mesopotamian receptacle for the dead, excavated in Yazd, Iran. Made of baked clay, this is where the dead were laid to rest, exposed to nature and consumed by birds and wild animals.
Access: Between 10.30 am and 5.30 pm from Tuesday to Sunday. Entry is free.
REMEMBERING THE MAHATMA - The Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya
The Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya is a two-storeyed building with wooden windows and doors, in a leafy bylane in Girgaum, built in the first decade of the 20th century. It was the residence of Revashankar Jhaveri, Mahatma Gandhi's host during his visits to Mumbai from 1917 to 1934.
The mini models depicting important episodes of Gandhi's life – the Dandi March, Salt Satyagraha and his assassination – are the most-visited. 'These are the most popular with all our visitors,' says Meghshyam Tajgaonkar, who runs Mani Bhavan. 'They break down different episodes of Gandhi's life and present them in an appealing, 3-D format.'
Access: 9 am to 7.30 pm, daily. The entry is free.