Museums are special. They add history, art, grace, in brief, a unique identity to a city. Do not you believe me? Well, mention Paris, and ninety-nine per cent people would mention the Louvre where resides the famous "Mona Lisa." Those who are drawn naturally to the sciences are fascinated with the very building of the George Pompidou center. So unique is its very exterior.
In fact, Europe is very well-known for its museums. In Berlin, there is a square where there are museums in all the four directions, and the range is roughly a kilometer each way. The Prada is a compulsory "been there, seen all" spot for those who visit Madrid, rich with such others as the "Reina Sophia".
Be it Italy, Russia, the Pyramids to the National Museum of New Delhi to our very own Raja Kelkar, a tribute to one man's persistent devotion and loving tribute to his son's memory, museums are special. Culture centric cities like Pune literally burst with with such unique treasures.
Museums are real time machines. They store the past not just for the present, but for the future, nay, for forever. The are silent assurances that mankind, however stupid it may appear contemporaneously, has not only survived but also evolved most evocatively!
Hence, since 1977, the International Council of Museums has been observing May 18 as the international day of museums. There is a defined theme to be celebrated each year. Given THE war which has rattled the economies of most all countries, you can guess the theme this year! Yes, it is museums for world peace. Hope our dear Trump and his current counterpart in Iran would visit a museum or two which would prove to them the futility of war, given the real wealth of nations abundantly stored there!
Pratima@ Museums are so unique that any number of literary texts refer to them. My favourite one is W. H. Auden's brilliant poem "Museé des beaux arts". Worth a read indeed as it would prove to you why museums are worth a dekko or two! You may also love "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown. Oh, yes, there are many, many more which uniquely curate experience itself for you.
.Quote of the day: "Don’t go to a museum with a destination. Museums are wormholes to other worlds. They are ecstasy machines. Follow your eyes to wherever they lead you…and the world should begin to change for you," enthuses Jerry Saltz.
Word of the day: curate Curate means to select the best or the most appropriate, especially for presentation, distribution, or publication.
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