MUSEUMS
The Museum as repositories of cultural, histori- cal, technical, industrial or other kinds of materials for preservation against decay and for transmission to posterity as records' for history and audio-visual means of education. are an important, aspect of education. The development of museums in all their ramifications is considered important as on the one hand they promote national integration and on the other international understanding.
The Constitution of India makes the States primarily responsible for setting up and maintenance of museums, the Central Government has however, set up a number of setting up and maintenance of museums, the Central Government has however, set up a number of important museums and through its scheme of financial assistance provides funds for the development of private museums, University museums, etc. Great emphasis is laid on the documentation of the existing collection in the Govern- ment and private; museums, preservation of the, collec- tions by using latest scientific aids and publication of catalogue of, collection. Keeping in view the financial resources available it would be-the endeavour of the Department of Culture to encourage construction of museums buildings to house the antiquities available in the various regions.
In the field of Indian art and archaeology the Central Government has established the National Museum, New Delhi, Indian Museum, Calcutta, and Salar Jung 2Museum, Hyderabad. In the contemporary history and art, Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta, National Gallery of Modern-Art, New Delhi and the Nehru Memorial Museum, and Library are the three museums financed by the Gov- ernment of India. The work done by the museums during the year is given briefly in subsequent paragraphs.
(i) MUSEUMS OF INDIAN ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY
National Museum, New Delhi The main activities of the Museum are in the fields of acquisition,exhibitions, publications and conservation.
Acquisition
The Museum enlarged its collections by acquiring beside's paintings and decorative pieces of art, the following outstanding objects during the current year
(1) A fine Tripurantaka of the Chola period 11th Century, a Chandrasekhara, 12th-13th Century, a gilt bronze figure of Maitreya 12th Century Nepal and Pala Vishnu 10th Century, A.D.;
(2) Ninth Century Pala Buddha, two Kashmir sculptures of the same period and three Chandella sculptures of the 10 Century A.D. from Khajuraho;
(3) Fine Kashmir shawls and embroidered Gujarat spreads.
Exhibitions.
During the year the Museum, compiled and sent the following exhibitions to the UK., the U.S.A. and Saudi Arabia:
I.U.K.
(For participation in the 1. In the Hayward Gallery,
Festival of India, Exhibition Image of Man London
at London)
2. The Art British
of Book Library
in India
3. The Indian Victoria
Heritage and Albert
Museum.
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II. SAUDI ARABIA Indo-Arabic Art Exhibition : A special exhibition was sent to Saudi Arabia to coincide with the visit of the Prime Minister, Smt. Indira Gandhi to Saudi Arabia in April, 1982. The exhibition was held in Riyadh, Jeddah University and in the Indian Embasy, Jeddah.
III. U.S.A. (i) Exhibition of 'Silk Route and the Diamond Path' despatched in October, 1982.
(ii) Exhibits were sent for the 'Exhibition of Indian Textiles' to Washington.
Publications Besides many. publications which are in the Press, the Museum brought out a catalogue of special exhibition on Indo-Arabic Art, to coincide with the, Prime Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia. A number of publications in connection with IX ASIAD 1982 and the special exhibitions on Krishna of the Bhagavat Purana, Geeta Govinda and other texts were also. brought out during the year. The portfolios with reproduction of miniatures and folders. containing monochrome illustration etc. were also prepared.
Conservation In addition to the care of the objects of the National Museum, the Museum also treated many art objects from other Museums which were sent for exhibitions in other countries. It also assisted other museums/ institutions in the matter of treatment of objects. The chemist of the Museum participated in the International Seminar arranged by the Tokyo National Research Institute and UNESCO at Tokyo on conservation of wooden cultured property in November 1982.
Other Activities The Museum conducted training courses in general Museology. A training, course entitled "Training on Conservation of Museum material and Textile" was also held.
To strengthen the. security arrangements Electric points were provided outside the galleries of the Museum. Also construction has been started for a boundary wall with railings in front of the museum building. The, Museum also procured equipment of 'Walki Talkee' from M/s. Electronics Corporation of India Ltd., Hyderabad.
Indian Museum, Calcutta The Museum continued to make progress in the field of acquisition, publication, lectures and seminars and exhibitions. The main activities can be summarised as under :-
Exhibitions
(i) An exhibition captioned "Paintings by Nandlal Bose" in the Indian Museum was organised on the occasion of the birth centenary of this great artist of the modern Indian Art. A film show on Nandlal Bose was also organised.
(ii) An exhibition entitled Museum Collection through Gifts (1972-82) was organised to show 131 selected objects donated to the Museum during a decade which contain stone sculptures, manuscripts, textiles, paintings and drawings, dolls and crafts, tribal artifacts and confiscated antiquities.
(iii) An exhibition entitled 'Indian Museum in News' covering its history from 1839 to 1981 through archival materials, like newspapers clippings and photostat copies, cartoons etc. was organised to-coincide with a seminar on Museo-News and two hundred years of Newspapers in India.
(iv) An exhibition of 20 scroll paintings collected by the Art and Anthropology sections of the Museum between 1964 and 1981 was organised by the Education Unit of the Indian Museum.
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Under the title "exhibit of the month" objects of typical, interest were Acquisitions displayed at the entrance hall. These objects, were changed every month.,
Acquisitions (i) A copper celt belonging to the later half of the 2nd millennium B.C. discovered from Perua, Midnapur was acquired. Besides, a stone image of Chamunda ascribable to 13th Century A.D. was also collected.
(ii) Some Ivory carvings of the late 18th century depicting Krishna dancing, Shale, Vanjika, Power-box etc. of Rajasthan and Murshidabad, Paintings of Bamapada Banerjee, Jamini Roy and Gopal Ghosh and a 175-year old Jhul or elephant's back cover were acquired for the Art Section.
(iii) 80 artifacts of Rabha tribe of North Bengal, 30 wooden dolls and wood carvings were acquired for the Anthropology Section.
(iv) 120-year old Pandan and an eighty year, old nakshikantha red Kashmiri shawl, oval shaped marble tray, sari, a chess set made of match sticks and a Kalighat painting were received as gifts
Publications The following publications were printed :
(i) Black and White Picture Post-Card Archaeology-1st.
(ii) Indian Museum Bulletin, Vol. XV Pt. 1- 2.
(iii) Annual Report 1980-81 (English),
(iv) Annual Report 1980-81 (Hindi).
Besides, a number of other publications were in the process of printing.
Other Activities The Museum Bus was visited by 4,15,600 people at 20 centres in the course of its coverage of 3,079 km. 153 educational Films were screened during the exhibitions. A number of lectures, seminars and Gallery Classes were launched by the Museum. Notable among these were
(1) a lecture on "Shakuntala" (2) "Meghdoot" and (3) 'Master pieces of Indian Miniatures' in Bharat Kala Bhawan.
The 1st Asian Conference on Literature, Biographical and Memorial Museums was organised by the Museum along with Rabindra Bharati and Viswa- Bharati University for promoting human values.
Reorganisation of Galleries
Salar Jung Museum, Hyderabad The Marble Gallery of the Museum is being reorganised with a veiw to safeguarding the exhibits from being touched. For this purpose show cases of special size are under preparation and metallic railings have been provided on both sides of the Galleries. The Museum proposes to re- organise the Ivory Gallery also. A thorough check was exercised in respect index cards, 5,682 art objects and 3,033 printed books. The Museum also completed the following on documentation side :
(a) 3000 photographs of Manuscripts have been pasted in the Master ledger.
(b) 139 English printed books were checked and classified.
(c) 1309 catalogue cards of English printed books were prepared.
Educational Activities Three lectures and seven gallery talks were delivered during this period. Four temporary exhibitions were conducted. Birthday celebrations of Salar Jung III were celebrated from August 5 to August 11, 1982. On this occasion, the Chairman, Salar Jung Museum Board distributed Best Worker Awards for Class III amid. Class IV staff. A practical demonstration course was conducted from 7 to 23 September, 1982 in Lapidary, the art and craft of working gem stones, taking rough, jagged fragments of rock and smoothing and polishing them to produce beautiful, shapely stones.
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The mobile exhibition on Indian Paintings through the Ages was arranged in the mobile van with blow up photographs in 20 show cases. Labels in 4 languages were also displayed. Me exhibition along with replicas was sent to various schools, colleges and institutions of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
Other Activities The Museum has sent to the Press a publication entitled 'Guide Book' on Salar Jung Museum. 20 art objects were acquired at a cost of Rs. 51,500/- and added to the collection.
Scheme of Financial Assistance for
the Reorganisation and development
of other Museums The objective of the scheme is to give financial assistance for developmental purposes to different museums such as Tribal Art Museums, Crafts, of other Museums Museums, Ethnological Museums, Paintings and Photographic Museums. Children's Museums etc. which are owned and managed by voluntary institutions, societies, trusts, colleges universities, Municipal Corporation etc. i.e. all Museums except those directly, managed by the State Government or the Central Government. The grant is given for the following purposes:-
(i) Establishment of Museums, construction of buildings, minor extensions, repairs, purchases of art or other objects for the museums.
(ii) Purchase of equipment of display, storage and photography.
(iii) Publication of catalogues of Museum's collections, Guide Books, Photo Index Cards, Picture Post Cards etc.
(iv) Strengthening of existing Conservation Laboratories of the Museums.
(v) Purchase of books on Art & Culture, racks, shelves, for the Libraries of the Museums.
Applications under the scheme are invited every year through the State Government, and are scrutinised by an-Expert Committee which allocates grants.
II. MUSEUMS OF CONTEMPORARY HISTORY AND ART
Victoria Memorial Hall, Calcutta The Museum is being reoriented as. a period Museum of Indian History. The emphasis is on the period 1700 A.D. to 1900 A.D and to achieve this aim, materials and data have been/are being collected so as to set up an extensive gallery for projecting Tribal and Peasant Movement of the 18th and the 19th Centuries.
The normal activities like lectures on modern history and culture, conservation, treatment of art objects and restoration of old oil paintings were continued during the year.
National Gallery of Modern Art,
New Delhi The Gallery continued to enrich its collections by adding 479 works of National Gallery of Modem Ad, art to its reserve collection which includes 369 works of late Ram Kinkar Vaij, and two b2important prints Portfolios (i) XI Commonwealth Games 1978 print portfolio containing 12 prints of outstanding artists of different countries and (ii) 10 Litho prints "Mother and Child" "A Tribute of Mother Teresa" by M. F. Hussain.