MUSEUM, ARCHAEOLOGY AND ARCHIVES
A. DEVELOPMENT OF MUSEUMS Museums have immense potentialities as centres of culture, educa- tion and recreation for the community inasmuch as they easily evoke people's interest and supply varied information. Besides, they also function as precious repositories of India's rich and varied cultural heritage. The Union Government have therefore, continued to maintain and develop a few museums of national importance, besides extending financial assistance to State and other museums for their improvement and reorganisation. Award of grants and research fellowships for Museology, training of museum personnel and holding museum camps are the other forms of activities in the field.
2. Reorganisation and Development of Museums-The scheme of Reorganisation and Development of Museums is a continuing scheme from the second Plan period. Fro the third Plan a programme limit of Rs. 55 lakh was fixed. Financial assistance is given for approved item like minor building extensions, equipment, publications, training of museum staff etc. on the basis of priorities laid down by the Central Advisory Board of Museums. The scheme has also been included in the fourth Five Year Plan.
3. Central Advisory Board of Museums.-The Central Advisory Board of Museums will be completing its three-year term in February 1966, when a fresh Board will be reconstituted consisting of the representatives of the Union Government, State Governments and important museums of the country.
4. Museums Camp.-Under the scheme a camp on 'Decorative Arts including Textiles' was organised in Bombay in 1965. Representatives of State Governments consisting of persons actually concerned with museums participated in the Camp.
5. Research in Museology.-Since 1962, under the schemes of 'Re- organisation and Development of Museums', financial assistance is given to three scholars per year for doing research in Museology. Besides, a monthly allowance of Rs. 250, Rs. 1,000 per year as travel grant and Rs. 500 for purchase of books, equipment etc. are also given.
6. National Art Treasures Fund.-The amount of Rs. 6,48,532 is available in this fund. Steps are being taken to see how best this amount can be utilised.
7. Buddha Jayanti Park.-Due to National Emergency, further pro- gress in this work has been suspended.
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8. National Museum, New Delhi.-A subordinate office of the Ministry, the National Museum continued its programme of various activities during the year, an account of which is given below :
8.1. Acquisition of Art Objects.-Art objects worth about Rs. 4,00,000 were purchased by the National Museum, including a few rare bronze figures of Pallava, Chalukhya and early Pala periods. Besides, a stone head of Vishnu, of exceptional quality, from Rajasthan, of the 11th century, two ivory figures from South India, of the 18th century, fifty-four Anthropological specimens to supplement costumes already in the collection were purchased from the exhibition of N.E.F.A. Handicrafts Department held in Delhi. Thirty-three gold coins lacking in its collection were purchased by the Museum from the National Defence Fund collections.
8.1.1. A great many objects were received as gifts, notable among them being, one inscribed copper coin of Chhatrapati Sivaji from Shri Anil Kumar Vithal Rao, Poona; 16 Anthropological specimens from the N.E.F.A. region-from Col. P. N. Luthra, Adviser to the Governor of Assam; 4 Terracottas and one mental bell recovered by the Jawans of the Indian Army in Kutch--from Air-Headquarters.
8.2. Exhibition.-A travelling exhibition of 49 miniature paintings, representing the various schools of Indian painting from the 16th to the early 19th century, selected from the National Museum's collection was sent on a tour to Poland, Rumania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, U.S.S.R., etc. under the cultural exchange agreements with the countries concerned.
8.2.1. The travelling exhibition "Ancient Sculptures from India", which had a successful tour of Japan and five important cities in the United States of America during the course of the last year, closed in Honolulu in the middle of July and the loans have returned home.
8.2.2. The Museum launched a new programme of featured exhibitions and objects which highlight a single object every month out of the vast museum collections, inviting special attention to its iconographic, historical and aesthetic qualities as an outstanding work of art. For the month of December, 1965 the object was a 3,500 years old, Burial Jar from a Cemetery 'H' Harappa, having an elaborate painting depicting a scene which recalled the ancient Hindu belief in 'Life After Death'.
8.2.3. A special exhibition entitled "The Story of Freedom from Hunger" was organised in the Changing Exhibition Gallery in response to F.A.O.'s and Unesco-ICOM's call for an International Campaign for 'Freedom from Hunger'. Photographs, drawings and wherever possible, actual objects etc. were displayed at the exhibition.
8.2.4. The National Museum helped the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society in arranging an Exhibition on the life of Guru Nanak by lending 19 miniature paintings related to the subject. It also assisted in arranging the loan of a portfolio of 10 seriographs, i.e., silk screen prints, by 10 eminent American painters from the Smithsonian Institution, Washington
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D. C. for the Fifth International Contemporary Art Exhibition 1965, organised by the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society, New Delhi.
8.3. Publications.-The Museum published "Kangra Paintings of the Gita Govinda" by Dr. M. S. Randhawa, with colour plates and monochrome illustrations. Hindi versions of 'A Brief Guide to the National Museum, New Delhi' and of the educational brochures : (a) Harappan Art and (b) 'Indian Sculpture through the Ages', were brought out during the year.
8.4. The Museum Education Department prepared a special programme of a 12 weeks' course of illustrated lectures-cum-demonstration on 'Indian Art and Culture' designed to meet the needs of teachers and art-lovers during this year. About 95 enrolled under the leadership of Mrs. Shirley Isenberg of the American International School, New Delhi availed of the programme. The, course commenced on the 15th September and lasted till 15th December, 1965.
8.5. Course on 'Care of Museum Objects.-The Conservation Labora- tory of the Museum conducted a three-month course for curatorial personnel on the 'Care of Museum Objects' this year. The course was attended by seven trainees and they were given an insight into the composition, structure, deterioration and treatment of various types of objects.
8.6. Library.-The library continued to develop steadily during the year; nearly 1,400 books were added to its collection bringing the total to 15,400. 915 more slides were added to its collection raising the total to 4,267. Nearly 400 photos of art objects were added to the study collection of photographs. Reference and research service was rendered to research scholars, museum officers and visitors to the museum.
8.7. Moulds.-In the modelling section besides attending to mending work about 1,000 plaster casts and 6 permanent rubber moulds were prepared. A modeller from Patna was given practical training in making models, casting, finishing etc.
8.8. Development of National Museum.-In the National Museum proper the Gupta Gallery (5th-6th centuries) was reorganised and the sculptures exhibited there re-arranged. A Buddhist railing pillar and two lintels, probably from Hindu temples of the Gupta period, recovered by the Archaeological Survey were added to the gallery. On the second floor an entire gallery has been remodelled, converting half of it into a jewel box displaying the museum' riches in items of jewellery and precious stone-studded tiaras etc. and other items of decorative art. Besides, an additional selection of gold coins of the Gupta, Moghul, South Indian and Sultanate Dynasty was also put on exhibition.
9. Indian War Memorial Museum, Delhi.-The Indian War Memorial Museum in Delhi exhibits arms, ammunition and equipment used in the First World War. It continued to attract a large number of visitors during the year.
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10. Indian Museum, Calcutta.-Indian Museum is one of the biggest museums which has been functioning effectively for the last century and a half. It is governed by the Board of Trustees and comprises six sections, namely, Art, Archaeological, Anthropological, Geological, Industrial (Economic, Botany) and Zoological. With a view to improving the present set-up, Art, Archaeological and Anthropological sections have been integrated with the Indian Museum in this year.
10.1. A budget provision of Rs. 5 lakh has been made during 1965-66, For the year 1966-67, an amount of Rs. 5 lakh (non-Plan) and Rs. 2 1/2 lakh (Plan) has been provided.
11. Victoria Memorial Hall Museum, Calcutta.-The Victoria Memo- rial Hall, Calcutta is also managed by a Board of Trustees. It accommodates exhibits mainly connected with the British period of Indian History.
12. Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad.-The work of construction of the new building is still in progress. During the year 1965-66 a grant of Rs. 5 lakh has been released. For the year 1966-67 a sum of Rs. 7.78 lakh has been agreed to be provided in the budget. With the release of this amount during 1966-67, the building will be completed up to the second floor. For the maintenance of the Museum, a sum of Rs. 5 lakh has been approved in the revised estimates against the budget provision of Rs. 7 lakh imposing a cut on certain activities of the Museum due to economy. For the year 1966-67 a sum of Rs. 6,42,000 has been agreed to be provided in the budget.
13. National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.-The Gallery con- tinued its programme of various activities, a brief account of which is given below :
13.1. Western Section.-A Western Section has been opened in the Gallery to acquaint the public with the art trends in the Western countries. The present display includes the works of artists like Jacob Epstein, Lawrance Alma Tadema Meck, M. Greene, Peter Lubarda and Boris Georgieve.
13.2. Restoration-cum-Chemical Laboratory.-A beginning has been made in the establishment of a Restoration-cum-Chemical. Laboratory in the Gallery and during the year under report works of Raja Ravi Varma, Amrita Shergil and other important artists were, restored.
13.3. Exhibitions.-An exhibition of Rabindranath Tagore's paintings was organised during the "Artist Week" programme from 14th December, 1965 to 30th December, 1965. 904 visitors visited the exhibition.
13.4. Visitors.-During the year under review, 18,601 visitors including several distinguished delegations visited the Gallery.
13.5. Art Purchase Committee.-The Art Purchase Committee of the National Gallery of Modern Art has been reconstituted during 1965- 66.
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13.6. Art Reference Library.-During the year 1965, the 133 books, bound volumes of periodicals/journals were added.
14. Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Teen Murti House, New Delhi.-Nehru Memorial Museum and Library was inaugurated by the President of India on 14th November, 1964. It formed a part of the National Museum till 2nd September, 1965, when it was set up a separate subordinate office of the Ministry of Education with a Director as its head.
14.1. Exhibitions.-A number of exhibitions were organised which included :-
(i) An exhibition entitled "The Last Two Years" synchronised with Jawaharlal Nehru's first death anniversary.
(ii) On 15th August, 1965, an exhibition on the theme of independence, was inaugurated.
(iii) On 16th October, 1965, the "Nehru on Food" exhibition was. opened as part of the world-wide "Freedom from Hunger" campaign.
(iv) The exhibition "Freedom's Battle" built around a 'Prison Cell' photographically reconstructed out of pictures taken mostly in the jails in which Jawaharlal Nehru was lodged, was opened on 14th November, 1965.
14.2. Acquisition of Objects.-All the Indian Missions have been requested to obtain as much material as possible on different aspects of Nehru which may be available in their countries of accredition. From within the country also all possible efforts are being made to collect material especially from those who, came into contact with late Shri Nehru.
14.3. Library.-The Library is planned to be a special research library for modem Indian History, from Ram Mohan Roy to Jawaharlal Nehru. Its resources will cover all aspects-religious, cultural, social, economic and political-of the development of modem India, with particular emphasis on the Nationalist movement and the contribution of late Shri Nehru to it. Besides books, pamphlets, periodicals, it will stock photographs, films and sound recordings. A distinctive feature of the library will be its manuscript collection.
B. ARCHAEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF INDIA 15. The Archaeological Survey of India continued to give attention to all its major activities, namely, conservation of monuments of national importance and the gardens attached to them, exploration and excavation of sites of archaeological importance, development of archaeological museums and publications of informative research value.
16. Exploration and Excavation.-Two sites are proposed to be excavated during the year. The works at Kaliwangan (Rajasthan), a site of Harappan and pre-Harappan complex, and at Burzahon (Jammu & Kashmir State), an important neolithic site, will be in continuation of previous year's
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work. Apart from the work of proposed exploration, minor trial excavations at a few places are contemplated. Up to December 1965, 2,767 villages were surveyed under the Five Year Plan. The few Harappan sites recently discovered by the Survey in Kutch (Gujarat) away from the coast line, are likely to throw more light on the movements of the Harappan people.
17. Up-keep and Maintenance of Monuments.-Amongst the monuments that have been given special attention, mention may be made of : Qutab Minar (Delhi), Dhamekh stupa (Sarnath) in Uttar Pradesh, Asokan edict at Ahrarur (Bihar), Elephanta caves (Bombay), Badshah tomb and Harwan Monastery (Jammu & Kashmir State), and the Konarak temple (Orissa).
18. Archaeological Museums.-Continuous progress in regard to arranging of galleries is being made at the newly constructed museums at Amaravati and at Konarak. The work at Nagarjunakonda Museum is nearing completion and the museum will be thrown open to the public shortly. The Sanchi Museum is complete in all respects.
19. Activities Outside India.-Dr. B. B. La], Archaeological Chemist in, India and Shri R. Sengupta, Archaeological Engineer, went to Afghanistan in May, 1965 in connection with the collection of necessary data for the preservation of the monuments at Bamian. Dr. B. B. Lal also visited Nepal: in 1965.
20. Publications.-A new coloured set of picture post cards of 'Ajanta' was printed and released for sale along with other sets relating to various important monuments as part of publicity programme of the Survey. The publications brought out by the Archaeological Survey of India during 196566 are at Annexure V.
21. Meetings.-The 21st meeting of Central Advisory Board of Archaeology was held at Poona with the Minister of Education in the Chair. The late Vice-Chancellor of the Poona University, Dr. N. V. Gadgil, inaugurated the meeting. A variety of problems relating to archaeology were discussed and a number of important resolutions were passed.
21.1. In the beginning of the year a Committee was appointed by the Government under the Chairmanship of Sir Mortimer Wheeler to review the work of the Survey. The report of the Committee is under the consideration and its recommendations are being implemented by the Government of India.
22. Export Licences.-During the year, 93 licences were issued for the export of sculptures etc. which were not considered of unique value.
C. NATIONAL ARCHIVES 23. National Archives of India.-The main activities of the National Archives of India relate to accession, repair and preservation of records, research and technical service and training and publication.
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23.1. Accession.-To the Department's records were added 98 bills passed by the various State Legislatures, 24 files of the Military (Finance) Department (1906-23) and 179 boxes of registers and cancelled securities from the Reserve Bank of India (Calcutta), 392 folios of Cantonment plans received from the Survey of India. Besides, 113 reels of microfilms of the Crown Representatives of the late Political and Foreign Department were acquired from the India Office Library.
Among the significant additions to the Department's private archives were 62 rolls of microfilm of private papers of Lord William Bentinck received from the Nottingham University.
23.2. Compilation of Reference Media.-Check listing of private papers of the late Srinivasa Sastri and 14 volumes of Xerographic prints of Macartney papers was completed. Listing of the papers of the late P. D. Tandon and M. R. Jayakar was also continued. Besides, 3,986 files of Foreign and Political Department (1933-38), 5,238 files of the Military 'B' Progs. (1891-93), 52 Boxes of registers and cancelled securities of the Reserve Bank of India (Calcutta) and 1,036 files of the Political Department, Bhopal State (1936-47) were checked and listed. Considerable progress was made in preparing descriptive lists of Persian Correspondence (1904-11), Mutiny papers (Volume III) at Bhopal and Secret Department records (1787, 1789). Indexing of the Alquabnama also continued.
23.3. Research and Reference.-The number of research scholars who availed themselves of the facilities for consulting records was 218 as against 118 last year.
23.4. Technical Service.-A number of institutions and individuals from abroad as well as within the country availed themselves of technical advice of the National Archives of India, notable among them were : Department of African Studies, University of Delhi; Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Dr. (Mrs.) J. Mirsky, Yale University, U.S.A. and the Nehru Memorial Museum, New Delhi.
23.5. Training in Archives-Keeping.-All the trainees in the one year diploma course for the session 1964-65, successfully completed their training and a fresh batch of nine trainees for the Session 1965-66 commenced their training with effect from the 18th October, 1965.
23.6. Publications.-Reproduction of Part I of Selections from Educational Records edited by H. Sharp was completed and that of Part II edited by Richey neared completion. Collection and editing of Volume III, relating to 'History of Educational Administration (1857- 91)', Volume IV dealing with 'Growth of Female Education' and Volume V on 'Development of Technical Education in India since 1860' continued. Printing of the Fort William India House Correspondence (Volume III) (1760-63), Volume XX (179296), Volume XXI (1797-1800), Descriptive Lists of Secret Department Records (1776-77) and Volume XI (1794-95) of Calendar of Persian Correspondence also continued. Volume XIV of the Indian Archives (1961-62) was published and printing of Volume XV (1963-64) neared completion.