National Museum, Delhi

New Delhi, March 25: Come mid-April, and visitors to the National Museum in Delhi will have a never-before set of “friends” showing them around.

In a first in India, a group of amateurs from varied educational backgrounds is being trained as “Friends of Museum” to give visitors a 90-minute overview of historical artefacts on display.

The first batch of “friends” — about 30 people shortlisted from over 400 applications — are attending two-hour workshops on Indian history on the weekends so they are equipped to inform visitors as well as take questions from them. They have also been given a written script and advised to stick to it.

“This is a baby step. Unlike elsewhere in the world, the residents of a city in India hardly have any connect with their museums. This is one way to convert the museum from a distant and cold building to something they feel part of,” V. Venu, the director-general of the National Museum, said.

The museum has over 2 lakh artefacts spanning 5,000 years, although only 15,600 are on display. The “friends” will speak at 25 pre-fixed points so visitors get an overview of each era in history.

These “friends” are, however, different from the “Friends of Museum” famous in western countries. In Paris or London, for instance, “friends” are people who help museums with funds and other resources. In return, they are allowed privileged entry to exhibitions, talks or special screenings organised by the museum.

The Delhi “friends”, who are working for free, will also be granted benefits such as discounts at the museum shop, free books and free entry.

The “friends” had responded to an advertisement asking for volunteers willing to dedicate two hours a week to the National Museum. “We needed people from all backgrounds, those fluent in Hindi or who know a regional language. Not all have a history background but we have a few museology students,” Venu said.