Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone of the National Museum in Delhi in 1955, and it subsequently opened in 1960. It was designed by the first Indian chief architect of the Central Public Works Department, G.B. Deolalikar, and was constructed by Bhagwant Singh, son of Sobha Singh who built many of Lutyens’ buildings before independence. Its first director was the American Grace Morley, the former director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Jawaharlal Nehru and Grace Morley at the opening of the National Museum in December 1960. With no walls or barriers, the cyclist in the background shows the access citizens had in those days | Photo Credit: Courtesy the National Museum archive
This was the first museum built by Indians after independence, and symbolised the importance of focusing on the country’s cultural heritage in the idealistic first decade of our freedom. It was also one of the more expensive buildings constructed by the government at a time when resources were thin.
The sculpture gallery at the museum | Photo Credit: Ram Rahman
History that unites
Designed as a modern museum, the National Museum sports fine stonework and teak wood, coupled with an auditorium and library. It houses national treasures such as discoveries from Mohenjo-daro and Harappa, relics of the Buddha, and wall frescos and silk hangings from the Dunhuang desert caves in China. As school children, we were first exposed to our history in these halls, as were visitors from across India.
The famous ‘Dancing Girl’ from Mohenjo-daro. Grace Morley used Indian silks and fabrics in the display case | Photo Credit: Ram Rahman
Staircase detail, with a Vishnu sculpture on the landing | Photo Credit: Ram Rahman
Detailing on the doors | Photo Credit: Ram Rahman
In successive years, special interiors were designed to host international and Indian exhibitions, including Shah Jahan’s Padshahnama (Book of Emperors), a manuscript containing some of the finest Mughal miniatures, from Windsor Castle, a Picasso exhibition from France, and historian and curator Naman Ahuja’s landmark show, The Body in Indian Art.
Besides art and sculpture sourced from across the country, it also has collections of anthropological interest, crafts, armour and weapons, jewellery, and musical instruments. It is a familiar home to art historians and scholars who research in its library and its huge holdings in the basement.
The Chola sculpture gallery, which was specially fitted with modern display cases and lighting. The building could be easily adapted like this | Photo Credit: Ram Rahman
The Indus Valley gallery | Photo Credit: Ram Rahman
The anthropology gallery | Photo Credit: Ram Rahman
Must it be demolished?
The recent announcement that the National Museum will be demolished [likely in March 2024, according to several news reports] and the collection shifted to the North and South blocks of the Secretariat, has been met with shock. The question of why a perfectly fine building should be torn down and replaced with an office building has not been publicly justified. Many in the art community are worried about how the many delicate and ancient materials that need high security and careful storage and transport will be handled. The Ministry of Culture has not made any clear statement on the matter, leading to fearful rumours.
The grand courtyard of the National Museum | Photo Credit: Ram Rahman
These are a few photographs I took to record an institution we Indians felt was ours, one we cherished and grew up with as an independent and proud nation. They are a fond homage to an institution I hope will not remain only a memory of those years when India was flush with the hope and excitement of a new nation looking to the future.
The writer is a Delhi-based photographer and cultural activist.
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