By Savitha Hira
I visited the museum almost 2 years back, when I was asked to write about the restoration and conservation processes that had brought alive the almost forgotten history of Mumbai. In the course of my conversation with Tasneem Mehta, Convenor INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), Managing Trustee and Hon. Director Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum, I was informed that the biggest challenge in the project was doing so much on a shoe string budget. In her words, "By any reckoning, 4 crores, which is the total project cost is a very tight budget for such a comprehensive project. We not only restored the entire building and the garden surrounding it, but also 3500 artefacts; archived the entire collection as well as mandatory paraphernalia of setting up a museum".
Till date, every time I visit... feels like a first time.
