HOME AND THE WORLD

India’s glorious past distilled down to nine iconic moments along with world events of the time

To showcase India’s cultural heritage and commemorate 70 years of the country’s independence, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) has collaborated with the British Museum in London and National Museum, New Delhi, to present a fascinating exhibition of some 210 iconic artifacts. Titled India and the World: A History in Nine Stories, the exhibition opens in Mumbai on November 11.

Says Sabyasachi Mukherjee, CSMVS director: “We wanted to highlight our glorious past through iconic art objects from Indian collections that presented important moments in the country set in a wider global context... explore connections between India and the rest of the world.”

Mukherjee and former director of British Museum Neil MacGregor have been discussing the idea of an exhibition since March

2014, wrestling with the impossible task of trying to showcase artifacts that sum up a history that spans more than two million years.

In the end, they chose nine iconic moments in the country’s history and placed them in the context of events happening in other parts of the world. Later, two cocurators—Dr J.D. Hill from the British Museum and Prof. Naman Ahuja from India—conducted further research and selected the objects from various collections.

‘Shared Beginnings’ features the earliest stone axe, first invented in the southern part of India, juxtaposed with a similar one developed in Tanzania 800,000 years ago. ‘First Cities’ features a tiny banded agate bull with golden horns alongside a series of minute weights and measures from Harappa and Mohenjodaro. Other “stories” compare the grandeur of Mughal courts with those of the Ottoman and Oriental dynasties, showcase how rulers used religion to endorse kingship, and chronicle the emergence of the Indian traders, as well as India’s fight for independence and the postPartition era. “It’s a oneofakind exhibition,” says Mukherjee.