On International Museum Day tomorrow (May 18), we invited Sheetal Gandhi, conservation architect and urban planner, to explain her idea when it comes to conceptualising new museums for Mumbai that best reflect its diversity and rich cultural legacy
Image for representational purpose only. Photo Courtesy: File pic
Bombay to Mumbai: A Living Heritage
A time-travel journey through Mumbai’s tangible and intangible heritage, where visitors experience history through architecture, voices, rituals, and streetscapes.
Exhibit Zones
1. ISLAND → METROPOLIS (Pre-Colonial to Colonial)
- Koli origins
- Portuguese & British layers
1. Fort warehouses (opium, cotton ledgers)
2. Recreated dockworker’s (19th century)
3. Architecture corner
2. PEOPLE & POWER (Social Movements & Migrations)
Textile mills & strikes
Partition & refugees
Ambedkar & Dalit Mumbai
3. CINEMA, CHAWLS & STREETS (Pop Culture & Daily Life)
- Bollywood’s backstage
- Chawl life
- Street heritage
1. Irani café counter
2. Dabbawala
3. Festival immersion
4. VANISHING & REBORN (Endangered + Revived Heritage)
- Save our landmarks
- DIY heritage
- Future traditions
Interactive & Emotional Anchors
- Whose Mumbai?
- Time capsule
- Heritage hunt
Why This Works
Holistic: Ties buildings + people + culture
Emotional: Visitors see their own family’s Mumbai reflected
Action-Oriented: Ends with How will YOU preserve heritage?
Extensions for Impact
1. Pop-up exhibits
2. Night museum events
3. Augmented reality
As told to Fiona Fernandez
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