My first visit to the Salarjung Museum (SJM) was an educational tour from school. I was in Class VI and my classmates and I were seated expectantly at 12 noon in front of the famous clock to watch a figure within the clock come out and strike a bell 12 times. We were excited!

Years later, when I stood before the clock once again, this time with my daughter, Suha, there was the same feeling of complete fascination. Some of the objets d’art here — the statue of Rebecca, chandeliers, swords, paintings, porcelain and carpets — are amazing so is the children’s gallery.

The Museum consists of the largest collection of artifacts owned by a single family anywhere in the world — 47,500 artifacts displayed in 50 galleries, with 8,500 manuscripts and 60,000 books in the library. It receives 6,000 visitors a day, the largest footfall for any museum in India. Only 20 per cent of artifacts are on rotational display, the remainder being stored away for better preservation.

To stay relevant, its spaces have always laid emphasis on world-class display, and in the last three years, 1 lakh sq feet of interiors have been renovated. A gallery of Islamic art, spread over 26,000 sq feet is under construction where the world’s smallest Quran will be on display. The Museum, which is soon to be the subject of a coffee-table book, is now also becoming a cultural hub, with about 100 events staged here last year — plays, ghazal concerts and mushairas.

Reaching out to people is vital for its continued popularity, and its bus, “Culture on Wheels”, visit schools. They have also digitised the manuscripts and books, and soon, its virtual tour may be possible.

(The writer is a philanthropist, educationist and member of the board of Salarjung Museum)

source: http://www.DeccanChronicle.com / Home> Tabloid> Others / by Zakir Hussain / October 07th, 2012