Week-long events to mark International Museum Day in 13 cities

Heritage walks, curated programmes dedicated to persons with disabilities and underprivileged children, and talks by experts will be some of the events held during a week-long celebration of International Museum Day across the country.

Organised by Sahapedia, an online encyclopedic resource on art and culture, the programmes will aim to raise public awareness about museums as repositories of history and culture.

Themed around 'Museums as Cultural Hubs: The Future of Tradition', the events will kick off with a heritage walk at the Archive of North Indian Classical Music at Jadavpur University in Kolkata on May 17, a day ahead of the International Museum Day.

"Our aim is to trigger interest among people to not only understand their histories and traditions through artefacts and knowledge conserved by museums across the country, but also make them vital stakeholders in the preservation and transmission of their heritage.

"Additionally, we are hoping to encourage communities to re-take control over their own heritage, in a bid to bring ecological and cultural sustainability and responsibility to each one of our doorsteps," Vaibhav Chauhan, Secretary, Sahapedia, said.

On May 18, a total of 12 heritage walks will be organised in cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Prayagraj, Varanasi, and Mumbai.

Some of the museums involved in these walks are -- National Museum, Delhi; Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai; Antiques Museum, Patiala; Kamal War Museum, Shillong; and Architecture Museum, Chandigarh.

In South India, Kochi will host a heritage walk at Kerala Museum, while Bengaluru will host one at Central Library.

As part of its 'Anubhuti' initiative, Sahapedia has curated programmes for underprivileged children at the Partition Museum in Amritsar, and for the visually impaired at Drishyakala Museum in Delhi on May 18, the organisers said.

Not just museums and heritage sites, the events will also be hosted on social media websites.

Apart from a #MeraMuseum contest on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook till May 19, Sahapedia will also host Tweet Chats as well as Facebook and Instagram Live sessions with experts from different domains, encouraging conversations on museums.

History enthusiasts will be able to benefit from expert talks, 'Baithak', in New Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati.

The programmes will end with a Baithak on May 24 where archaeologist Sanathana Y S will speak on the subject "Temple Walls as Exhibition Spaces: Symbolism in Indian Temple Architecture" at Assam State Museum in Guwahati.