KOCHI: Founded in 1987, Kerala Museum near Edappally, Kochi, is one of the oldest art and history museums in the state. It comprises three institutions — the Museum of Kerala History, the Modern Art Gallery, and the Dolls Museum.
The Museum of Kerala History, the oldest gallery in the complex, depicts the lives of 87 personalities who shaped Kerala’s future. The Modern Art Gallery, which opened in 1992, houses nearly 230 works of art, including those of Raja Ravi Varma, M F Hussain and others. The Dolls Museum has a collection of 150 dolls, each depicting the cultural traditions of India.
The museum was the brainchild of visionary industrialist and philanthropist R Madhavan Nayar. Though in the seafood business, Madhavan longed to create a monument honouring Kerala’s history. “Madhavan knew very little about art, but his vision guided him. He travelled around the world, visiting museums and art galleries, learning as he went. He also corresponded with prominent artists of the time. These letters are also housed here,” says Aditi Zacharias, the museum director.
Among the lot who influenced him was his boss, Sir Robert Bristow, a British harbour engineer who developed Kochi port. It was he who encouraged Madhavan to set up a museum. One of the first things Madhavan did was get in touch with Prof. A Sreedhara Menon, a historian whose work, A Survey of Kerala History, is still touted as the best in the domain. This book served as the primary source material.
“Together, they decided on the pivotal moments to encapsulate historical contexts and events to be presented in the museum,” Aditi adds.
Madhavan Nayar looked after the museum’s operations until 1986, following which the responsibilities were transferred to his younger brother, R Indu Sekhar. Today, the museum is managed by the Madhavan Nayar Foundation.
During the initial days, the museum attracted a huge crowd. “Museums were the biggest crowd-pullers of that time. Now, public participation is less. There are several reasons, one being people’s disinterest in history. People would rather visit a mall than a museum,” says Aditi.
This indifference was very evident the day I visited the museum. Besides me, there were very few people. One of them, Alan Antony, an SSC student and a history enthusiast, had an interesting theory. “I think there’s a misconception that museums and similar other establishments tend to imitate and thus celebrate old ways of thinking. People, though enthusiasts of history, will likely refrain from indulging outdated narratives, especially that of caste systems,” says Alan.
His brother, Albin Antony, an engineering student, concurs, adding, “Not many people are aware of Kerala Museum. That’s also another reason. Other museums in the city, such as Hill Palace and the Kerala Folklore Museum, pull a good crowd.”
Lately, the museum has been engaging in a slew of activities to connect with the public. “We are trying to be more audience-centric by holding workshops, book events and general talks,” Aditi says. According to Adv M K Saseendran, an enthusiast when it comes to anything related to history, what is the need of the hour is to acknowledge the museum, a cultural hub of much significance, as a tourist attraction in the city.
Museum timings: 10 am to 5 pm (Monday is a holiday)