Museums, the treasure trove of knowledge
There is a thing about museums, they are enticingly inviting. They pique the curiosity and serve the intellect with their historical largesse. One goes in all prepared to see the ancient as we cap our modern day beliefs and sensibilities.
The exhibits can be amazing and the stories about them as narrated by the guides even more so. Painstakingly collected and artistically displayed, it is a treat in itself. The muted conversations of visitors comes natural as though a rise in volume would interfere with the divulging of the secrets sealed under hundreds of years of silence.
When my husband and I travel to different places, we always make it a point to visit the museum, if there is one. Museums come in all sizes, massive as The Louvre in Paris that could easily take a month to see it all and many more months if one was to read and study; or small as the one in Chamba, in Himachal Pradesh nearer home which can be done in a couple of hours.
The Louvre is an epitome of beauty, mystery and knowledge. Some exhibits are breathtaking as is the Mona Lisa, the paintings and the sculpted figures. I believe there are vaults that give a feeling of connivance and subterfuge. The problem arises when the vastness and the immensity make it difficult to absorb everything in one go.
On a recent trip to Rajasthan, we visited the forts, havelis, palaces and a couple of museums. The forts and havelis resembled a museum for the workmanship was exquisite as they revealed the lifestyles, the norms and the traditions of that era. The storytelling by the guides brought alive the life of yore.
Different from all these ageold relics was the War Museum in Jaisalmer. The depicitions and narrations were mostly about 80 years old. The outstanding thing about the place was the inspiring tales of valour of the soldiers. As we entered, there was a quote on one of the marble stones which read, “Let us not mourn these men who died fighting; let us thank God that such heroes lived.” As I read this, immediately there was a shift in my emotions from one of sadness at the loss of precious lives and how the families must have coped, to one of pride that such brave men existed and there are many like them to protect the country.
With shoulders thrown back and the head held high, I felt a part of those lofty ideals. The explanations as given by the guide were apt, to the point, and full of meaningful content. There was a matter of fact pride in the officer’s tone as she led us through the halls.
Museums are a treasure trove of knowledge, a walk into the past, a peep into the ethos of that period that make for an amazing experience. India abounds in rich culture and has innumerable tales to tell. And to think history was not a subject I liked in school!
AS WE ENTERED, THERE WAS A QUOTE ON ONE OF THE MARBLE STONES WHICH READ, “LET US NOT MOURN THESE MEN WHO DIED FIGHTING; LET US THANK GOD THAT SUCH HEROES LIVED”