So I went to the Crafts Museum..... I am not really into 'craft' or good at it but I thought it might be an interesting excursion. Hopes were low on my arrival, there was alot of work going on and there was pretty much no one around, not even my mates were to be seen! My guess is the workers were slightly more switched on for Michelle Obamas visit last November.
Thank God for mobiles, I quickly traced my friends, we woke the ticket seller who plugged in the cash register to issue me with my ticket (admission is about Rs150 for foreigners or Rs 10 for Indians). With the cash register plugged in we had power and a ticket. He then handed me the ticket which I then handed back to the man beside him who gave it a wee rip and I gained entry - hurrah!
The first rooms known as the 'Bhuta Sculpture Gallery' were full of beautiful sculpture and ornaments. There is some really beautiful things here capturing India's rich history, unfortunately there was also bright pink damp crystals on display to absorb the moisture and a real mustiness hangs in the air. An incredibly hot day doesn't help the situation. Or maybe its just museums.... while doing research on this piece I found this on the crafts museum website:
'The institution of the museum, aimed at housing objects of antiquity, is of Western origin. Indians themselves did not have a tradition of setting up museums of fragmented sculptures, rusted swords and out of context painting. Broken images were immersed in holy water, worn-out objects were left to decay and merge with the very earth from which they were created. It is due to this continuous process of abandonment of the old and reproduction of the new that the tradition of craftsmanship have formidably survived in India. as archaeological museum concept in the nineteenth century, it missed out on the fact that, unlike the West, the 'past' and 'present' were not so severely divided in its case, and it therefore failed to give adequate importance in its museums to the evolving context of its culture - the living practices of rituals; festivals; weekly markets; picture-shows of itinerant storytellers; the materials, techniques and tools of artisans; the cultural changes and the attitude towards the past and the contemporary tradition as such. it is this overlooked dimension of Indian culture which is emphasised in the concept of the Crafts Museum.'
I will test this out with visit to other museums around town. Anyway I digress.
Moving on from here we visited the folk art that at times was a little bit scary...... we moved on and got a bit more air but moving to the 'Courtly Craft Gallery' where there are displays of an old home which is pretty speccy with stunning moorish lattice work on all the windows.
Then it was time for textiles. These were really impressive and my favourite part. Sari's from all over India and beautiful traditional costumes.
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| WOW! Loved it. |
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| Pretty impressive trousers |
The hand weaving on these pieces is extraordinary! I would love to have tried one on to see what it weighed, it was just beautiful and so intricate.
I also loved the jewellery on display. Even though it is quite ancient the styles could easily be applied to modern day.
It took us about an hour and a half to walk through the galleries and then visit the 'display village'. At the end you get to a number of artisans that are selling posters, clothing, jewellery etc.... at touristy prices. Unfortunately there wasn't a little stall selling chai as the courtyard would have been a nice place to cool down with a drink and just watch.
This museum was actually a very pleasant surprise and a quiet little spot to chill for an hour or so.
Pragati Maidan,
Bhairon Road,
New Delhi-110001
9.30 am - 5 pm
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