Kerala aspires to become Museum hub of India
16 Feb 2021 15:17:39
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 16: Kerala, which is home to India’s biggest art event called Kochi-Muziris Biennale, is now aspiring to become a museum hub in the country. Dr Venu V who is the Additional Chief Secretary, Kerala and Manager of the Department of Archaeology stated that the old notion with respect to the museums is needed to change. There is a need that the museums should be able to converse with the visitors specially with the youngsters.
The new museum movement has been started by Keralam Museum. It is an organization that builds and modernizes museums. The new museum movement has been started to challenge the old-fashioned norms regarding conservation of cultures. It seeks to replace the revolutionary concepts which is gaining momentum across the world. In order to comply with these objectives, the Kerala govt has launched an initiative which aims to establish and promote mini museums in state.
The Koyikkal Palace Folklore Museum at Nedumangad in Thiruvananthapuram, the Gandhi Smriti Museum at Payyanur and the Vaikom Satyagraha Memorial Gandhi Museum in Kottayam are the completed assignements of the Keralam Museum. The govt has also decided that the Bastion Bungalow at Fort Kochi will function as the Ernakulam District Heritage Museum. The galleries of the museum visually explain the interventions of Portuguese, Dutch and the British powers into the political domain kingdoms of Kerala.
Besides, Kerala has recently opened District Heritage Museum in Palakkad, which is situated 150 km north of Kochi. The museum focuses on the agriculture, arts and music of the region. Kerala has played an important role in Indian history, especially during the colonial period due the strategic location in the maritime realm, further opening the doors to the Indian mainland. Thus the initiative in Kerala will contribute effectively in further developing a comprehensive outlook towards Indian history of the colonial period.