Active Stocks
Thu Mar 28 2024 15:59:33
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 155.90 2.00%
  1. ICICI Bank share price
  2. 1,095.75 1.08%
  1. HDFC Bank share price
  2. 1,448.20 0.52%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 428.55 0.13%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 277.05 2.21%
Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Delhi’s Belly | A place for Ghalib’s tumbler
BackBack

Delhi’s Belly | A place for Ghalib’s tumbler

The city's lesser-known museums show it in all their odditiesif only they were curated with more detail

Ghalib Academy museum. Photographs: Pradeep Gaur/MintPremium
Ghalib Academy museum. Photographs: Pradeep Gaur/Mint

Safdarjung’s Tomb, Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, Teen Murti Bhavan, National Museum, and now hop off at the Metro Museum. Last week Delhi Tourism’s sightseeing service, the Hop-On/Hop-Off (HoHo) bus service, added this barely-visited curiosity as one of its stops.

Situated on the concourse level of the busy Patel Chowk station, the museum (closed on Mondays) dutifully showcases the brief history of the Delhi Metro Rail Corp. (DMRC). Its information panels boast of engineering feats such as the construction of the Chawri Bazar station, the city’s deepest station. There are models of the Metro train, and knick-knacks such as an innocuous-looking CCTV, an apparatus that hit the news last month after the footage of a couple getting intimate in an empty coach appeared on pornography websites.

View Full Image
Metro Museum

Take the Ghalib museum in central Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti. Dedicated to the 19th century Urdu poet, it is located on the third floor of the Ghalib Academy, which houses an auditorium and a library. The museum consists of two rooms. A statue of Mirza Ghalib—smoking a hookah—guards the entrance. A staffer said the rooms are opened only when someone shows interest to take a look.

Inside, a rack is stacked with stone replicas of the poet’s (supposedly) favourite food: shahi kofta, murgh ka saalan and jalebi. There are also replicas of Ghalib’s plate and glass tumbler. Other exhibits include men’s kurtas. In the absence of sufficient information, it was difficult to determine whether these dresses belonged to the period in which the poet lived. There isn’t any informative plaque in sight, save a few disfigured miniature statues labelled “Artworks based on Ghalib’s poetry".

While the museum is not a definitive guide to Ghalib, it does offer a curious Delhiite an opportunity to explore a place off the beaten track.

Delhi has a couple of other such museums—not so famous, but engaging nonetheless. However, these lay bare the lack of thought and seriousness that has gone into their curation. Most of the city’s niche museums are in various stages of disrepair.

Tibet House museum
View Full Image
Tibet House museum

The museum’s most striking section displays Tibetan jewellery, costumes, household articles, and ancient weapons like knives studded with precious stones. Some of the jewellery and costumes look contemporary—something you could possibly spot at Majnu ka Tilla, the settlement of Tibetan refugees in north Delhi. India sheltered thousands of Tibetans who escaped their homeland following China’s invasion in 1959. The museum’s giant blue-and-golden stupa says, “Thank you India". The museum’s spokesperson, Tenzin Pema, says the only problem in running the place is the lack of visitors. “We have only around 3,000 visitors annually," she says. “There is not enough awareness about the museum. Lots of people don’t even know that there is a Tibet museum in Delhi."

Opened in 2001, the Supreme Court museum (closed on Mondays) is inside the Supreme Court premises and is a prototype of the Supreme Court building façade. The display objects range from Indus Valley inscriptions and case files of Mahatma Gandhi’s and Indira Gandhi’s assassination to a variety of judges’ wigs.

View Full Image
National Museum of Natural History

The National Museum of Natural History (closed on Mondays) inside the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) building in Mandi House was established on the 25th anniversary of India’s independence. Sadly, the names of the galleries are not exactly designed to induce wakefulness: Introduction of Natural History, Nature’s Network: Ecology and Conservation. If not adults, children might enjoy the stuffed animals and birds.

View Full Image
Srinivas Malliah Memorial Theatre Crafts Museum

The Srinivas Malliah Memorial Theatre Crafts Museum (closed on Sundays and national holidays) on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, near ITO crossing, has exquisite theatre artefacts including century-old puppets, tribal masks, Ramlila costumes, and headgears of various theatre forms in India. Sadly, half of these lie wrapped in plastic sheets due to lack of space.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.
More Less
Published: 17 Aug 2013, 12:08 AM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App