KASTURBA ROAD: A pretty red building greets Bengalurians and visitors to the Government Museum on Kasturba Road. But walk in and you only see tagless displays, broken glass cases and clueless security guards.
The city Government Museum started functioning in its current location in 1880 and is now 134 years old. Spread over two levels, it boasts a huge collection of coins, sculptures, inscriptions, paintings and musical instruments.
But one can never guess the historical relevance of any of the exhibits.
"I don't know why that painting is important. Except for the name of the person who donated it, there is no other information mentioned," says Tausif from Pune who had come to the museum with his children. "Museums across the world tell people the history of the city, of the artifacts displayed. There is story attached to all of them. But here there is nothing that children can take back," he rued.
The second floor of the museum houses musical instruments like the Coorg drums and a miniature veena. But ask the security guard why they have been displayed here and he says, "We don't know anything. We only tell visitors not to click pictures."
While the boxes don't have any name tags or details of where they were found, many visitors say a lack of a guide is surprising.
"Most historical monuments have official guides. Or in this age there are audio guides available, why can't the authorities arrange for one?" says Seema Ahir, a visitor.
The cannons belonging to the Tipu Sultan (18th century) era, found during the Metro construction, are at the mercy of the rain gods. Kept in the open in the backyard of the museum, visitors don't recognise them till they ask the officials about it.
"I came here specially to see this. But I looked all over and then saw it in a bad condition. The authorities don't care how the weather affects such things. They should conserve these objects, not destroy them," says Kiran Shah (name changed), a history student.
When contacted, the curator of the museum said steps were being taken to restore the museum to its former glory.
"The building has developed cracks. We have submitted a list of things that need improvement to the authorities. They will go through the list and get back to us,” she said.