The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
Samhith sitting in one place is not something you can see very
often. Samhith listening to something intently is even rarer! But, there was a
time last week, when my little boy actually sat quietly (well, almost quietly)
for over an hour, intently listening, asking questions in between, peering
close to see the details he was hearing about. What was it that interested him?
Nothing less than the Egyptian Mummy which has travelled all the way from
London to our very own Mumbai!
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| Photo Courtesy: Mummy - The Inside Story, Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/MummyTheInsideStory) |
Nesperennub was a priest, who, like other members of his
family, served at the temple complex of Amun-Ra at Karnak, in the shrine of
Khons. The reason for his death isn’t very clear, but he must have lived
sometime between c. 945 – 715 BC. His mummy was discovered at Luxor, the site
of the ancient city of Thebes, in the 1890s and brought to the British Museum
in London, in 1899. Now, more than a century later, he travels the globe,
educating people across the continents, about his ancient civilization.
What makes this even more interesting is the fact that the
exhibits don’t just explain the history and practices of the Egyptians, but
they explain how we know about these things in the first place. Each item in
the exhibit has its own story, and explains how it fits in with the rest. The mummy
literally comes to life, with the visual presentation taking us inside, showing
us what is left of Nesperenubb, and how we learn so much about him.
The Mummy exhibit begins with a visual presentation in the
auditorium. “Mummy – The Inside Story” is screened every single day, every
hour, on the hour, at the Auditorium right next to the Museum store. Please sit
through the presentation before setting forth to see the exhibits. Believe me,
it helps explain so much!
The exhibition itself is spread over 4 rooms, and there are
free guided tours available at 11:00 AM and 2:30 PM every day. If you are not
in time for these, or want a peaceful tour of the exhibits, there are audio
guides available at the entrance for Rs. 70. This is not too steep a charge for
a guide which takes you through the entire exhibition, step by step. The running
time for the audio guide is about 45 minutes, but actually walking through the
exhibits and listening to it took us more than an hour and a half. And this is
what made Samhith actually sit down and listen. No human guide could have done
that! So, go, get yourself and your kids an audio guide and see how much more
they listen!
There is no doubt that the exhibition is aimed at the children.
The language is simple, and easy to understand, no matter how complex the story
told. Besides, the third section is just for kids – there are books to read, bookmarks
to be made, drawing and colouring to be done, and photos to be taken, all on
the Egyptian theme. Besides all these, there are also some lovely books at the
exit, perfect for kids of all ages! My only grouse is that most of them are too
expensive. However, the exhibit catalogue is on sale, and is worth a buy. It explains
the entire exhibition in detail, and helps you remember all the facts you might
have missed or forgotten.
The Mummy is at the Mumbai museum for exactly 2 more months –
till the 24th of March. If you live in Mumbai, or are even visiting,
during this period, please do not miss this exhibition. The museum has been
kept especially open on Mondays just for this, so please make the most of it.
The Museum also has put up a load of information on their
website, giving information for people visiting, for teachers, and also
activities for kids. Please check their website before you go.
There are also loads of activities for kids, but most of the
events have been held either on weekdays or weekends when we haven’t been free.
But I have been hearing good things about them, so if you can, go, attend
them... and let us know how they were. Also, there are special activities
conducted for school groups, and you can contact the museum for further
details.
Will try to go .Thanks for Sharing
ReplyDeleteyou should surely go, Vishal. will await reading about it on your blog!
DeleteThanks for sharing! wil surely take my niece there. super excited already :)
ReplyDeleteIs this still on?? Wanna know till when are these in India?
ReplyDelete