The museum as an exhibit

An exhibition of 57 vintage photographs traces the journey of the National Museum since it was conceptualised by the British in 1946

An intricately carved 17th-century Jain shrine porch looms ahead and two people seem to be staring at it intently. On closer look, the two people turn out to Jawaharlal Nehru and Grace Morley, founder-director of Delhi's National Museum. This photograph from the 1960s takes you back to the time when the National Museum was just taking root in the arts and culture space of India. This and 56 other images from the museum's archive trace the institution's journey from a sparse room in Rashtrapati Bhawan (1949) to the rambling expanse that it currently occupies on Janpath. With over 2,00,000 objects, 11 collections and 24 galleries, the museum has grown significantly from the mere germ of an idea mooted by a committee headed by Sir Maurice Gwyer, first chief justice of the then Federal Court, in 1946. Titled Down Memory Lane, the exhibition at the National Museum transforms the museum from a mere repository of artefacts to being an exhibit in itself.

"Most of the people don't even know that the museum was an offshoot of a British idea. [Edwin] Lutyens had earmarked this very space for it," says Venu V, director-general of the museum. "The idea was to use the Janpath-Rajpath crossing as a space for arts and culture. The archives building was to be built across the museum and the current space occupied by the ministry of external affairs was to be a performing arts space."

The first ever blueprint of the museum is also on display at the ground floor rotunda, besides an assortment of vintage guides, brochures and catalogues. The archival material for the exhibition, which was put together in less than a month, was sourced from CPWD, Rashtrapati Bhawan and private collectors. "I even approached people who had retired 20 to 25 years ago to dig into their photo albums for rare images of the institution," says Vijay Kumar Mathur, curator (education and paintings) who has put together this photographic selection. "The former director-general of the museum, I D Mathur, too shared some of his old memories of Pandit Nehru, who had personally overseen the development of the museum."

It was on May 12, 1955 that the foundation stone of the present building was laid by Nehru and since then the museum has gone through several highs and lows, all of which have been documented through this exhibition. Evolution in the style of exhibiting - from the table showcase to the standing showcase concept - has also been highlighted. "The museum was originally envisaged as a full circle with limbs radiating outwards. However, initially only two limbs were constructed. We had to wait till the 1980s for two more limbs to be added as part of the second phase of construction," says Venu. Now the wait is on for the third phase of construction to commence. The acquisition of artefacts has hit peaks and troughs over the years as well. "In the 1960s the museum was young and we added a lot to the collection. The '70s saw a lull, after which acquisition commenced in the '80s. The '90s have not seen any acquisitions," says Venu, while adding that all museums go through such phases.

So is this the largest museum in the country? "The Indian Museum in Kolkata, which is currently celebrating its 200th year, is possibly the largest and the oldest. But if you are looking for a museum with a national character than the National Museum is it," says Venu.

Down Memory Lane will be on display at the National Museum till June 12