Listen to music while you explore artworks at this museum in Mumbai

VT (CSMT) Station in Monsoon, PA Dhond. Pics Courtesy/DR BDL Museum

Mumbai's historic and oldest museum, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum has created a playlist on the Spotify music app, based on the city and the museum's artefacts and collections. The songs are a mix of contemporary and classical music that will make you fall in love with the city and the museum even more.

Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, the Museum's director, reveals how these playlists were created, "The entire team brainstormed and, of course, the mainstream tracks were selected first. But we also looked for certain offbeat, lesser-known tracks that would convey the idea and experience of Mumbai that we wanted our audiences to have - both Mumbaikars as well as non-Mumbaikars. For example, you cannot have a Mumbai playlist without Rafi's Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan or Koli music."

Visitors listen to songs from the BDL playlist as they discuss an artwork at the museum

She adds, "At the same time, as a Mumbai City Museum, we wanted to capture the vibrant ethos of the city from its older musical roots of the Bhendi Bazaar gharana through the Chadhta Suraj qawwali to contemporary Gully Boy rap, which captured the raw energy of the city and its people."

Mehta elaborates about a special playlist, Ragamala, and how the sound amplifies the experience of the artwork. She says, "When I led the restoration of the Museum in 2003-2005, I wanted to add music to the display along with our Ragamala series. We have musical instruments and we have had concerts in the museum, so music is an integral part of appreciating artworks." The first playlist was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Museum was closed to the public.

Tasneem Zakaria Mehta

The tracks received a great response from visitors. Mehta shares, "Museum audiences love these playlists. We have QR codes in the Museum asking people to explore them. Audiences are surprised to find the Museum interpreting collections in a fun, unexpected manner, and they post it on social media. Our Ragamala playlist, inspired by the collection of 18th-century Ragamala miniatures, is a crowd favourite and most downloaded and saved."

She adds, "We request the audiences to listen to it even on our public walkthroughs while taking them through the miniature section." When asked about adding new tracks, she informs, "We are putting together new playlists inspired by other stories in the Museum, and will also update existing ones to add newer music that has been released - we invite responses and suggestions from audiences!"

LOG ON TO BDL Museum on Spotify
ON Thursday to Tuesday; 10 am to 5.30 pm
AT Rani Baug, Veer Mata Jijabai Bhonsle Udyan, Byculla East.
ENTRY Rs 20 (for adults); Rs 10 (for children)

The Guide's monsoon picks from the playlist

>> Street Scene, Bombay by Baburao Sadwelkar (1951) for the song Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan by Mohammed Rafi
>> VT (CSMT) Station in Monsoon by PA Dhond' for the song Rimjhim Gire Sawan by Kishore Kumar
>> Vasant Ragini from the Ragamala series for the song Raga Basant Bahar by Kishori Amonkar