Nemish Kuvadia

Roll Number- 66
Museum Visit Write Up
As soon as we were told that we had to visit the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu
Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), I was a bit a confused so as to why we had to visit a museum for a
communications class. The previous night I quickly scanned through the museum’s website
to get an idea of the place before we visited. My first thoughts after visiting the museum was
that it was very interesting to visit. It reminded me of the rich cultural heritage of India and
brought back memories from childhood when I had learnt about the cultural diversity of the
country. The museum had dedicated sections that included natural history sculptures,
textiles, decorative art, miniature paintings, Chinese and Japanese antiques and the Ratan
Tata and Sir Dorabji Tata galleries that included European and Far Eastern art. The artefacts
were very relevant as it gives us an idea about the objects used in the stone age and gave
us background information on the rich history of the country. The museum had various had
various enriching artefacts ranging from Lord Buddha to Durga Maa to the city of Calcutta.
There was a good blend of local artefacts to international influences from Tibet, Nepal and
Europe, thereby one can gain a global perspective on various subjects.
One of the biggest takeaways from this visit is to be able to see things differently and
form a viewpoint on that. It helped me take step back and look around peacefully in this age
of living a fast-paced life in the city. It helped me gain a sense of empathy as I was able to
understand the context of the art and under what circumstances was the painting made. I
was able to form a viewpoint on different paintings for instance the Bohemian Gypsies, I
thought of it as a painting that wanted to demonstrate that someone had poisoned the
gypsies as they were travelling from one place to another. Even though I may be incorrect, it
helped me form a viewpoint on a subject matter. I understood how Science and Technology
had advanced to such a stage where things are done easily as opposed to the early years
when people had to do things the hard way. As I went from one section to another, I
wondered that museums were a great way to destress from everything and I saw the
creative side of myself as I tried to understand various artefacts and paintings. One of the
things that kept crossing my mind was the fact that the museum needed to improve its
visibility so that people knew that it existed as I had not known about it even though I used to
pass through that area frequently.
My advice for future students would be to visit the museum during free time and to
visit with an open mind to learn something. I had a very different view before I went for the
visit and had a completely different view after that day. I will visit another museum during my
free time to learn more about different things and enjoy a day where I can reflect on different
subjects and improve my analytical skills. I would want students to design innovative ways in
which the museum can be more visible such that the museum would be on the bucket list of
places to visit when one visits the city.