National Museum

We went to the National Museum during a power outage. In fact after we got our ticket we had to get out to buy bottles of water just to bear the heat. Fortunately the tickets were good for the day. so we went back in. The staff looked miserable but still professional. Of course this was not posted outside. I noticed that in New Delhi customers were never told ahead of time, not even with a sign, that there was a power outage or that anything was amiss, Even at the airport counter, where when the computer went down for about 15 minutes, the twenty-something staff merely walked away from their stations and left a line of people waiting, when there were other counters they could have gone to, Of course, everyone on line  just waited as well. Patient people, poor customer service.

Enough kvetching.

I had been looking forward to the National Museum, and it did not disappoint. The museum contains art and speciments from the 20th century naval history through the Harappan civilization. The further into the museum you go, the older the history, Here is just a sampling of what you can see there.

Here is the entrance to the museum.








Below are examples of the sculpture. Although these are reliefs, there were more freestanding sculpture.. Neither Usha nor I know much Indian art history, but we know what we like. I am especially fond of the rhythmical Ganesh relief in the middle. The image of Ganesh has always inspire many forms of art up to the present day.

We saw parts of buildings as well, such as the typically detailed lintel on the left.

The galleries of paintings were extensive. The one on the right caught my attention as something we have not seen in American exhibitions.

 




A small exhibit of the Maratha navy was pretty interesting, Maratha is from the state of Maharashtra, where my family comes from. (Swell of pride...)

Here are some pieces from the Harappan exhibit, which Usha was thrilled to see after studying about the civilization in school. She thought it was cool there was so much recovered from one of the first civilizations.

 



Well-preserved pottery and toys.

Remains of a burial site. I was moved by this skeleton of a woman, her bone bangle of marriage still on her wrist.