Museum’s ‘day out’ on wheels for global commemoration

The 95-year-old and biggest museum in Mumbai, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), will celebrate a ‘day out’ on wheels to mark International Museum Day on Thursday, an official said on Wednesday.

This year, in a unique initiative, the Citi-CSMVS Museum on Wheels will travel around a special bus in Mumbai and park at key locations for people to walk in and view the exhibits.

The exhibition on the bus will be titled ‘As It Happened’, a literal translation of the Sanskrit word ‘Itihas’, or history.

Accordingly, the Museum on Wheels will be available for public viewing for four hours at each major location like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Lower Parel, Girgaum Chowpatty and other places to enable people soak in the rich culture and heritage through the expo.

The add-ons at Lower Parel would include fun, arts and craft activities for young and old to participate and enjoy the travelling museum experience, said CSMVS education officer Bilwa Kulkarni.

According to Kulkarni, every year around 4,000 visitors throng the CSMVS for the global event, but this year it will be a double celebration as the Museum on Wheels will go around the city among the people.

Besides the city tour, a host of activities like Shibori Tye and Dye, Islamic Tile Making, Khokhloma, Egyptian Jewellery Making, Torma Making, Making Miniature Painting, Trade Route Quiz and Story-Telling Sessions will also be held to mark the day.

Ranked among the most premier such institutions in the country, the CSMVS museum houses a collection of over 60,000 multicultural collection of artefacts from Asia and Europe.

The CSMVS, formerly known as Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, is the main museum in Mumbai. It is a Mumbai landmark situated between the historic areas of Colaba and Fort.

It was founded in the early years of the 20th century by prominent citizens of Mumbai, with the help of the government, to commemorate the visit of Edward VIII, who was Prince of Wales at the time. IANS