Ancient sculptures, scriptures and paintings by modern Indian masters were on display at the Indian Museum and Victoria Memorial on Monday to mark International Museum Day.
The exhibition at the Indian Museum reflected the “philosophical foundations of Indian civilisation”. The one at Victoria traced the “journey of Bharat into the modern age”.
At the Museum were intricate sculptures — Shiva as the eternal purusa, and prakriti represented by the Mother Goddess; forms from mythology such as Ardhansrisvara and Somaskandha; representations of Ram worshipping Durga; and Abanindranath Tagore’s Ganesa Janani. A repository of scriptures, including folios from Ramayana by Krittibas Ojha, was also on show.
Works of Raja Ravi Varma, Abanindranath, Gaganendranath Tagore and Jamini Roy were at Victoria. “They reimagined mythology through modern artistic vocabularies rooted in Indian tradition,” a spokesperson said.
The exhibitions, accompanied by multi-disciplinary performances, were dubbed “Namami Bharatam”.
BJP MLA Roopa Ganguly and French consul-general in Calcutta, Thierry Morel, were among the guests at Victoria. BJP MLA Arijit Bakshi was at the Indian Museum.
“This collaboration between our two premier national institutions marks a historic moment for India’s cultural landscape. More than a coming together of two premier national institutions, it reflects a shared commitment to reimagining museums as dynamic spaces of dialogue, collaboration, and cultural awakening — where diverse histories, ideas, and communities converge to create meaningful contemporary narratives for a united future,” said Sayan Bhattacharya, director, Indian Museum, and secretary and curator, Victoria Memorial Hall.
Through the celebrations, the International Council of Museums wants to highlight the “vital role museums play in fostering cultural exchange, enriching cultures, and developing mutual understanding, cooperation, and peace.”
This year’s theme is “Museums Uniting a Divided World”. A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Indian Museum and Brainware University on Monday.
The MoU is designed to “foster long-term collaborative initiatives in the fields of cultural heritage preservation, museum innovation, and emerging technologies”.
“The partnership will explore the implementation of AR-VR applications for immersive museum experiences, digital storytelling and interactive educational outreach,” said the spokesperson.
