Today I went to the Nehru Children's Museum. It is located in the Chowringhee Road near Rabindra Sadan. It is the located near the point where four roads meet at Rabindra Sadan. In Bengali, we call it Chowrasta. It was 5 p.m. I left office. I had less work today. Today is April 29, 2009. It's a humid afternoon. The sun has set and its already getting dark. I thought it would be better to go to the museum and wander in it rather than getting the metro railway and go home. Life has become so boring. Work, sleep, work, sleep and a little bit of keyboard playing and book reading in between. Sometimes I'm reading books in the metro railways while the train is running, sometimes in the bus, sometimes on the platforms, that's the way I passed the exam of that "Hospital Administration" in which I got a post graduate diploma degree of Medvarsity (which is associated with Apollo Gleneagles, Hyderabad). Life has become so hectic. Many people committing suicides inside metro. In fact, Metro has become the place for frustrated people.
I know the Nehru Children's Museum, which is located just before the St. Paul's Cathedral. I have attended classes of French language of Alliance Francaise de Calcutta. It has a wonderful class room where dancing, art, recitation classes are held by eminent personalities. It's a wonderful place. It's a place where beautiful exhibition halls with hundreds of models like dolls, cars, ship etc. make your visit a memorable thing in life!
You will ask me: "Why a children's museum at this age?" I will say ."It will provide you with adequate food for thought. As you watch the dolls of different countries, you will understand their dress patterns. It all depends on the way you look at the world. Its like the glass half full and half empty. It's the way the elephant is perceived from four directions by four blind people. It is the place where the whole world is represented in the form of dolls. Through the wonderful dolls, you come to know the type of people and their climatic adaptation, the dress also reflects their economy. Being an ex-student of anthropology, I can tell you that this doll's house, i.e. Nehru's Children Museum is the place where you get to see the model representation of Ramayana and Mahabharata, two great Indian epics. This is really worth remembering as along with the model representations, there are interpretations in English in very lucid style so that a child can follow the English and get to know these epics easily. It's a way you appreciate the Indian literature. By reading the Ramayana and Mahabharata, you will understand the beauty of the ancient minds and how imaginative are the Indians!"
The Dolls and Toys gallery lay out is down by Dipali Mitra and Anjali Dutt. We have dolls from the following countries:
- Nepal.
- Netherlands.
- Ghana.
- New Zealand.
- Mongolia.
- Mexico.
- Mauritius.
- Morocco.
- Libya.
- Norway.
- Fizi Island.
- Korea.
- Japan.
- Gujrat.
- Finland.
- India.
- Hong Kong.
- Germany.
- Hungary.
- Egypt.
- Greece.
- Denmark.
- Costarica.
- Myanmar.
- Brazil.
- Belgium.
- Austria.
- Antigua.
- Malda.
- Purulia.
- Rajasthan.
- Murshidabad.
There are dolls donated by Royal Government of Thailand, Japanese dolls, Russian Culture of Society, Darjeeling, Trinidad, Maharashtra, Surinam, Singapore, Sri Lanka, U.S.S.R., Puerto Rico, Poland. Car models donated by companies like Bharat Earth Movers Ltd., Morgan Milton Private Limited, hydraulics, motor grader, wheel dozer, dozar.
Gallery of Mrs. Manju Dam, who did her research in London with British Economic History. This gallery has 400 dolls from 37 countries. There are dolls donated by Bajoria Foundation, Bankura, Spain. There are US military tank models. There are small vintage car models.
The National Cultural Association presents Ramayana and Mahabharata. The scenario and direction is by Jugal Srimal and the presentations are superb!
A visit to Nehru Children's Museum will be a memorable one and you cannot forget the beautiful dolls and the models. You will simply be so happy and I have called it the "Doll's House" after the Henrik Ibsen play's name as it is truly a wonderful land of dolls!
