For the people, by the people

ldquoI remember my sister wearing such frocks Who wears these nowadaysrdquo remarks Sabyasachi Mukherjee nostalgically as we look at the section dedicated to childrenrsquos apparel at the newly opened Textile Gallery inside the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya CSMVS We are in the middle of an insightful chat and walkthrough and who better than have its director be our guide ldquoIt is extremely satisfying to see these crowds despite it being in the middle of summerrdquo he says beaming with immense prideVisitors view the newly opened Textile Galleryat the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya PicShadab KhanWe walk past the Prints Gallery mdash which is a stunning pictorial chronicle of the evolution of Mumbai mdash and the Karl Khandalavala Gallery mdash home to 800 artefacts ldquoNote the rotating slideshow that displays every object from the collection we introduced this as every object cannot be displayed physicallyrdquo adding ldquoThe idea is to share not keep them in the dark roomrdquo We notice visitors across age groups and backgrounds Indian as well as international Reading my mind he shares ldquoTen years back yoursquod find only silverhaired researchers or foreign tourists here but now so many young people comerdquoCSMVS museum director Sabyasachi Mukherjee believes the museum can do more to bring in younger audiences PicsShadab KhanMakeover at the museumMoments later we head to his office keen to hear more of this transformation ldquoWhen I took charge in 2007 we conducted a survey to gauge the museumrsquos strengths issues and objectives and develop a strategy accordingly Our strengths were the building its prime location 60000plus objects curatorial strength and autonomous management We wanted to use these positives to counter our challenges like shrinking visitor base and with it revenue issues as neither the State nor the Centre supports us insufficient artefact management better staff training low morale labour issues static displays and lack of institutional visionrdquoInteractive screens and games draw in crowds at the Textile GalleryMukherjee shared how developing an integral approach was of paramount importance when he took over Areas like confidence building utilisation of available resources opening up of communication channels capacity building staff support and defining of responsibilities needed our attention too ldquoIt was also vital to create opportunities for our staff Today 90 are fully trained The Textile Gallery is an example of inhouse input The museumrsquos master plan for transformation was put in place The museum should think of its visitors as audience not spectators Knowledge study and enjoyment should be the driving purpose of every museum but somewhere along the way visitor engagement hasnrsquot been incorporated in museum policyrdquo he ruesThe main wing is a treasure trove of collectionsBring in the youngldquoA lot needs to be done as we live in the Internet Age Todayrsquos youth cannot look beyond their smartphones How do we bring them back to the museum How can we make our sculptures speakrdquo declares Mukherjee in reply to my query about engaging the young ldquoOur exhibits and collections should be attractive interesting and interactive We were happy to learn that 15002000 children were here on International Museum Day May 18 Kids want handson activities The museum can no longer be a repository of antiques Things must change We are ready to changerdquo he addsSatisfaction guaranteedldquoToday more people visit the museum The sense of belonging is terrific More individual donors than those from the corporate sector are coming forward to support CSMVS Clearly this is possible only when you acknowledge their ownershiprdquo reveals Mukherjee He added that 90 of the collections at the Textile Gallery came from individuals Families of Pupul Jayakar Jehangir Sabavala and Dr Sarayu Doshi came forward with donations of heirloomsIn the past twothree years this sea of change was been possible because of CSMVSrsquos inclusive policy He also cites the transparency within communication channels ldquoPost our board meetings all decisions are shared in the library itrsquos in public domainrdquo he reveals ldquoIt should become a community space 35 NGOs work with usA museum must be shorn of political colour and remain a secular space for peoplerdquo he maintainsCulture must get its dueldquoAfter 68 years of Independence is it IT trade or agriculture that we can showcase Itrsquos our culture I had written a proposal to the Union Ministry of Culture suggesting the setting up of an Institute of Heritage Management similar to our IITs and IIMs So far therersquos been no response But I am hopeful If we can produce even 30 curators from such an institute imagine the benefits it will reap Itrsquos better than hiring bureaucrats and underqualified peoplerdquoOn a parting note he shares the words of Jawahar Sircar former CEO of DD and AIR and former secretary of India from a discussion in December 2014 lsquoOf every 100 rupees of government money 13 paisa is spent on culture Five of this is on restoration and maintenance of monuments and perhaps one paisa or two are left for the performing artsrsquo We rest our case