Kerala's musemum movement strives to focus on revolutionary concepts to attract people

Keen on becoming the countrysmuseum hub, Kerala is on the course of unveiling heritagerepositories that chart a thematic narrative of global appealand function as interactive spaces attracting the youth.

The state's new museum movement strives to challengeold-fashioned norms about conservation of cultures, replacingthem with revolutionary concepts that are gaining ground inother parts of the world, a senior government official saidhere on Thursday.

A key element of the New Museum Movement is to promotemini-museums across the state in a big way, saidDr Venu V, Additional Chief Secretary, who oversees thedepartments of Archaeology, Archives and Museums among otherresponsibilities.

''While certain historical occasions are momentous,they can be of special sentiment to the local people.Buildingmuseums on such themes give the residents of the area a senseof ownership and pride,'' he noted at a media conference here.

The initiatives have been anchored by KeralamMuseum, an organisation formed to build and modernise museums.

In fact, February 12 marks a major chapter for the2011-founded project by unveiling two key theme-basedrepositories that showcase heritage of regional significancebut weave narratives in ways that capture the imagination ofpeople across continents.

The Hill Palace Museum in suburban Tripunithura willopen galleries that throw fresh light on the erstwhile rulingdynasty of Kochi, while the Bastion Bungalow in the cityswestern pocket will lend a distinct perspective to Keralasmercantile trading network from the ancient to modern period.

Venu, who was Director-General with National Museumin Delhi, said the twin endeavour takes forward the stategovernment's decade-old mission of converting museums tovibrant cultural spaces of present-day relevance.

''Its time we came out of the notion that museumsare places where history sleeps.They should be able toconverse with visitors, more so youngsters,'' he said.

This was the foremost goal when the governmentset up Keralam Museum, Venu recalled.

Officially called The Interactive Museum of theCultural History of Kerala, the autonomous body strives toensure international standards across the state's museums bymodernising them professionally.

In the past five years, the nodal agency has lentmomentum to its activities by initiating 31 projects, 11 ofwhich have been realised.

The 54-acre Hill Palace is the state's biggestmuseum, 15 km east of Kochi and open to the public since 1986.

Its galleries, known for their historical,architectural and botanical sections, are now poised to lend athematic and interactive experience after carrying out aRs 2.37-crore modernisation programme with central assistance.

Bastion Bungalow at Fort Kochi will, from February12, function as the Ernakulam District Heritage Museum (DHM).

With the state's Department of Archaeology spendingRs 3.58 crore, Delhi-based Eka Archiving Services was assignedthe responsibility of curating the permanent exhibition and toprepare a blueprint to conserve the historic building.

The Bungalow's galleries will visually explain theinterventions of the colonial Portuguese, Dutch and theBritish powers into the political domain of Kerala's kingdoms.

A District Heritage Museum (DHM) was opened inPalakkad on Thursday, enu said.

The Rs 5.66-crore institution, under the Archaeologydepartment, is housed at the Mani Iyer Hall, Kalpathi andfocuses on the region's agriculture, arts and music, he said.

Besides these three, Keralam Museum has completedeight assignments, the official said.PTI TGB BNADMINISTRATOR BNADMINISTRATOR