Preserving Mumbai’s industrial history
To preserve the city’s industrial history, a part of the premises of the erstwhile United Mills at Kala Chowki will now be developed into a museum. The establishment of textile mills from 1850 onwards established Mumbai as a major industrial hub of the country. The year 1982 marked the end of this glorious chapter when textile mill workers went on a massive strike. Mumbai changed to the modern city as it appears today. Its potentials, limitations, social life, politics - almost every aspect of the city life - carry a mark from the golden era of the textile mills in last century. The museum, to be developed at the request of the BMC, promises to give a glimpse of all these aspects.
Challenges and promises of technology
Just when the announcement regarding an industrial museum came, the Nehru Science Centre inaugurated its new gallery, ‘Machined to Think’. The gallery gives a glimpse of fourth industrial revolution and the promises as well as challenges posed by the technology. From social media to internet, bioinformatics to brain machine interface, artificial intelligence to predictive analysis, behavioural modeling to supplemented reality, exhibits explain the science behind the things that are expected to be part of our lives in the near future. Unlike several occasional galleries, this one will be permanent and will evolve in its due course.
Bust lost and found
A bust of Mumbai’s first police commissioner Sir Frank Souter, which once adorned the entrance of Mumbai Pollice Commissioner’s office, had gone missing. The search began a couple of months ago after police commissioner started inquiring about the bust. Later, it was found at Bhau Daji Lad Museum at Byculla. The bust will now be shifted to the police museum that will come up at the police commissioner's office headquarters in Crawford Market. The museum, which will come up with the help of the Tata Trust, will display rare photographs, uniforms, weapons including hatchets and revolvers.
Wealth of Mumbai museums
Some mind-boggling facts regarding wealth of the existing museums came up during the Museum Week last month. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharashj Vastu Sangrahalay (CSMVS) in the city has over 60,000 exhibits, while the adjacent Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has over 5,000 natural history specimens. The monitory museum at the Reserve Bank of India headquarters has over 1,500 exhibits of currencies through the years, whereas the BrihanMumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) museum highlights development of civic transport. The Godrej archives display around 1,300 memorabilia, including the ballot box made for the first election of independent India.
Abhijit Mulye
abhijit.mulye@gmail.com
Our correspondent in Maharashtra