Museums go virtual amid lockdown

Kolkata: With museums in the city being shut due to the lockdown, authorities have taken the virtual route to enable people to view the exhibits staying indoors.

The Indian Museum has made a good number of its collections available through its virtual gallery on its website. Collections from the Indian Buddhist Art, The Life of Buddha in Indian Art, Saktirupena (an exposition of Mother Goddess in Indian Art), Ananya (celebrates the significant role women have been playing in various fields from

the remote past), Textiles and other

galleries have been brought in public view along with a description of the artefacts.

"We have taken a unique initiative titled "Stories of World Culture through which experts in various fields are delivering the message of positivity, hope and good faith through short performances amidst the lockdown situation. Videos are being uploaded in our Facebook page," said an official of the Indian Museum.

The Science City has uploaded some hands-on experiment for students through web, YouTube, Instagram etc which they can do while at home. "We have been hosting an exhibition on Coronavirus before the lockdown. We have uploaded a digital copy of the exhibition through the web," said Subhabrata Chaudhuri, Director of Science City.

Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH) is using its Facebook page to attract viewers through constant uploads from its collection. The oleograph from its collection titled 'Yamlok' (Hell) printed by the Chitrasala Press in Pune, collection of works by Gaganendranath Tagore with an introduction and a periodic breakdown of his work, two paintings from the collection of Aurangzeb and Shivaji painted by Abanindranath Tagore and Ravi Verma respectively, the earlier and lesser-known works from its collection, 'Crowd' by Padma Bhushan Somnath Hore, has been highly appreciated.

"We are working on uploading some interesting things from our garden," said Jayanta Sengupta, curator and secretary of VMH.

Birla Industrial and Technological Museum has launched its virtual gallery on the evening of March 31. The exhibits which includes one of the earliest telephone sets, a 16 mm movie projector and the machine in which Rabindranath Tagore had recorded his song ''Tobu Mone Rekho'' are getting plenty of views every day.

The lockdown in the country has been extended till May 3 and all the museums have been closed from March 14.