A sunlit corridor greets you. Along with two men by a brown boat reading the introductory panel of Kashti Kinara, an exhibition put together by the students from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya-s CSMVS post graduate diploma programme in museology and conservation. Although it is their first virtual exhibition, it certainly feels real.

The 360-degree tour is focused on coastal communities, boats and boat-making in India. Did you know that our coastline spanning over 7,500 kilometres is home to 14 per cent of the country-s population? It-s a question the students approach, making the show more community-centric than object-driven. It-s also what the title Kashti Kinara, a common poetic metaphor translating to -the boat and shore- alludes to. Vaidehi Savnal, assistant curator, international relations and education, says that the idea of the exhibition is to piece together everything the students have learnt in the course — from writing labels to researching objects. "In February, they were given a broad theme to work with, and it would ideally be a physical event. But given the lockdown, it had to be moved into the digital space," she says, adding that since some students hailed from a copy-editing and design background, the shift was easy.