The Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum has received the Award of Excellence in the 2005 Unesco Asia Pacific Heritage Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation. |
Restored and revitalised by the NGO Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), it is the oldest museum in the city and a superb example of Renaissance Revival architecture. |
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The restoration was undertaken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), INTACH and Jamnalal Bajaj Foundation jointly. The foundation gave an initial grant of Rs 2 crore for revitalising the museum and has also committed another Rs 3 crore for the further maintenance of the structure. |
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Tasneem Mehta, managing trustee of the museum, conceived and designed the project to revitalise the 133-yea-old museum. The project includes the opening of a new special exhibitions gallery, focussing on the development of industrial arts in the country. |
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Johny Joseph, municipal commissioner, said: "It is a historic day that the restored museum has got such an award from the Unesco. The work is appreciable which made it a world-class heritage. The corporation is happy as the cultural heritage of the city is preserved In such a way." |
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"The restoration was indeed a team work with the active participation of Rahul Bajaj. There are many skilled craftsmen who worked hard with patience," said Tasneem Mehta. |
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The museum was formerly called Victoria and Albert Museum which represents the spirit and ethos of the 19th century. The collection of the museum was put together in 1855 for the first time but it took 17 years for the Palladian building to be built. This year marks the 150th year of the collection. |
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The Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum has a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the V&A, London. The pact between the two institutions include exchanging experts, training programme at London for the museum's curators and the exchange of exhibitions. |
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The entire museum collection has been photo documented and computerised. The municipal commissioner indicated that by January 2006 the museum will be opened for the public. |
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