Even though he is a chemical engineer by education, Vinod Daniel, an Australian of Indian origin and board member of International Council of Museums, Paris, is better known for his love of history and conservation. Besides working in museums across the world as a conservation scientist and administrator, Daniel is also Chair, AusHeritage, an international heritage industry body in Australia which is currently working closely with India. As the World Heritage Week has just passed by, we talked to Daniel to understand how we can revive Indian museums
“I always enjoyed museums and architecture but never knew that I would make a career out of it,” says this alumnus of IIT Delhi and IIT Madras. Vinod, who has worked in National Museum, Delhi, Prince of Wales, Mumbai, and Madras Museum, and is credited with a mummy restoration project in Hyderabad, has many ideas on how to increase the footfall in museums.
Support is key
“The main drawback in developing countries is that museums are still not a priority, unlike in the West, where there is a lot of funding and support for such projects,” says Daniel. “A good museum needs a permanent director and a dedicated industry-level board to administer it, rather than the government of the day. It needs trained human resources in curating, design, conservation and exhibition. Most staff in museums are not trained to create an audience-focused approach in displays,” he adds.
Asserting that museums cannot run like companies, Daniel says: “Even public-private partnership cannot work. In most countries, museums are partly funded by the government. Museums have always got to be independent and non-profit entities.”
Explaining how Indian museums can generate revenue, he says most museums in India are completely funded by the government. “This is not the case in the West where the money comes from the government, visitors and souvenir shops within the premises. In case a major exhibition is on, then the sponsor’s name is publicised. So a museum finds innovative ways to reach out to potential donors.”
One Indian museum which has done well, according to Daniel, is Chhattrapati Shivaji Museum in Mumbai. “Over 20 years, they have made the museum a more attractive place for the public to visit,” he says.
In the West, visitor feedback is key to the success of museum exhibits, says Daniel. “The text accompanying the exhibits is deliberately not too scholarly. Museums have attractive cafés and clean toilets. The London Museum for example, is like a picnic spot for families with multiple restaurants and meeting points. Even in Delhi, when the Crafts Museums opened, there was a cafeteria which soon became a place for people from other cities to congregate. Museums need to compete with amusement parks,” says Daniel.
The back story
According to Daniel, Indian museums have a good collection, but they aren’t accompanied by interesting stories. “In the West, they struggle as far as collections are concerned, but they are good storytellers. They also know the art of funding what the public wants. If 40 objects come from India, like bronze statues from Chennai, then their museum guys can narrate a superb story around them. They would have experts for technical details who would create an interesting background to the whole theme,” says Daniel.
He admits security is an issue everywhere in the world. “So many objects stolen from India have been taken away. If the visitor number swells, then security needs to be tightened. Vandalism is also an issue. Teenagers might use a pen to deface work of art. Women with oil on head might lean on an artefact and damage it. It is for us to ensure that there are barriers to protect the artefacts on display.”
Revealing details on the work he carried out on the restoration of the mummy of Princess Naishu in Hyderabad, Daniel says: “It has been in existence from about 2500 BC and has been with State Museum since 1920. The process involved using a thin netting to hold all the bandages in place as well as some gentle cleaning to remove very severely disintegrated fabrics. This was then supported in a special platform that was designed according to the contours of the body which was placed in a low oxygen display case to minimise any further degradation.”
Museums have started to document obsolete dance or music forms. “Most museums are custodians of a number of things that no longer exist, like certain forms of costumes. In an Australian museum, a certain kind of cloth from bark of a tree had disappeared. Elders from that community were brought in to recreate the fabric. So the museum used the community in rejuvenating their culture and created an opportunity for them to sell their products to tourists and educate others,” says Daniel.
