Moving the National Museum: What the opacity about the government’s relocation plan actually reveals

Three major cultural institutions are slated for demolition to make way for the Central Vista project in Delhi – the National Museum, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and the Annexe of the National Archives. But if three existing institutions are being cleared, it should be noted that the plans for the redeveloped Vista set aside three other buildings that will remain within the Vista for museums.

These three museum-designates are among the most majestic buildings in Lutyens’ complex. The North and South Blocks, which till now have housed key ministries and the Prime Minister’s Office, have been earmarked for museums that will showcase “The Making of India” and “India at 75”. So far, however, no details are available about the nature of these museums, what they will exhibit and hold, and what their relationship with the displaced institutions will be. In addition, when Parliament moves into its new building, the current Parliament House, we are told, will become a “Museum of Democracy”.

Museum enthusiasts such as myself should be celebrating the allocation of such important buildings as an upgrade granted to museums in the new plan. Instead, I find it raises important questions about modern India’s conception of what a museum is and…

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