New gallery at National Museum

Union Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch Thursday inaugurated a new gallery at the National Museum here that houses objects of ethnographic interest to people.

"Tradition, Art and Continuity" is the third gallery of the museum in the past ten months and has over 200 objects -- ranging from a wide geographical and social spectrum -- on display. The new additions have been acquired from private collectors.

There is a palanquin from the Santhal community, scroll paintings from West Bengal, textiles such as Phulkaris from Punjab and bronze sculptures from Bastar, besides terracotta works and basketry.

The duo of Jayshree Sharma and Anju Sachdeva, who have curated the gallery feel it is a rich representation of art from various parts of India.

"They represent exquisite examples of people's art," said Sachdeva, adding that they give recognition to an important and yet neglected side of our heritage.

According to the museum's director general Venu V. the gallery is a showcase of exquisite examples of tribal and folk art.

"They celebrate the simplicity, beauty and sophistication in our daily crafts. Most of them face various risks and we thought it essential to bring them back into circulation," he said in a statement.

The curators noted that the Indian subcontinent, with its varied landscapes, has been home to a diverse group of communities with distinct cultures and habits.

"Within this kaleidoscope of cultural diversity, there still exists a common vocabulary for the ways and means adopted in designing and constructing objects that fulfil basic needs," said Sharma.