Ajay Arya from Sonepat in Haryana is a recent graduate from the Delhi School of Economics. On November 10, the 25-year-old came to Delhi for some work and was sauntering around in the Janpath Road area when he happened to ask the guard outside the National Museum if it was open for visitors. "I was pleased to know it was open. This is the first time I have actually visited the museum in my entire time in Delhi. I will be thinking about the seals in the Harappa Gallery for a long time now," says a tall and lanky Arya, one of the very first few visitors to the museum since it reopened on November 10.
With the large corridors quieter than usual, save for the low hub hub of staff workers who have been coming to work for three months now, the chill in the air is more than pronounced. The echoing exhibition halls, with round markings on the floor for social distancing, are yet to shake off their aura of desertion. But for those keen to make good of the ghostly yet calming silence at the museum, there's never been a better time.
In view of the ongoing festive season, the ministry of culture has allowed the re-opening of all museums, art galleries and exhibitions, barring the ones within containment zones, from November 10, following strict precautionary measures against further transmission of COVID-19. Adequate social distancing, use of face masks, regular sanitization of premises, availability of hand-sanitizers, online tickets, temperature screening and on-site safety officers are some of the provisions in place to prevent the spread of the disease. Audio guides and use of touch-based technology have been restricted for now. Galleries are also opening in a phased manner, with textile, tradition, art and continuity, arms and armours, pre-Columbian & Western art and jewellery still shuttered.
At a time when COVID-19 cases are steadily rising again in the capital, the drive to get back to business-as-usual remains unfazed.
At the public relations office in the museum, a white board bears markings of an upcoming physical exhibition on Company paintings after months of putting out virtual content. Boasting a brand new website with a cleaner and leaner look, Union minister of state for culture and tourism virtually launched 'Life in Miniature' on October 22 in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture where several hundred miniature paintings from the museum can now be viewed online. The project, divided into themes like love, nature and faith, has employed machine learning, augmented reality and digitisation with hi-def robotic cameras. But now with slow, sure-footed steps being taken to continue unlocking doors of cultural institutions, the museum is likely to start hosting new physical exhibitions from next month.
