Museum 2.0

Tasneem Zakaria Mehta at Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum

It's been over 14 months since we made a trip to a city museum. However, unlike many other social situations that we'll possibly struggle to navigate once the pandemic is won over, not visiting museums hasn't made our relationship with the historical and cultural institutions distant. In fact, our bond with some of the city's oldest museums, such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) and Dr Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum, has only intensified, thanks to their robust digital presence. In this time, many non-Mumbaikars, too, have been able to virtually traipse around these galleries, attend workshops and delve deeper into the city's history.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee at the Children's Museum in CSMVS

At a time when 95 per cent of the world's museums have been compelled to close their doors, these museums have harnessed technology to bring themselves to our doorsteps. And continuing with their World Museum Day celebration, research and education hub Columbia Global Centers, Mumbai, is hosting a panel discussion today on how museums have creatively dealt with the challenges of the past year. Titled The Future of Museums in the Age of Pandemics, the discussion will feature Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and honorary director, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum; Sabyasachi Mukherjee, director general, CSMVS; Douglas Hegley, chief digital officer, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; and it will be moderated by Ravina Aggarwal, director, Columbia Global Centers, Mumbai.

Reflecting on their experience of transitioning online, Mukherjee shares that technology helped them inch closer to people. "We've had experience with social media, digitisation and new, hybrid forms of cultural experience and dissemination even before the pandemic, which helped." Mehta, meanwhile, notes that they've been very active online, organising programmes for different age groups.

At the discussion, all three panelists will bring different experiences to the table, says Mehta: "We'll discuss what needs to be done to ensure our museums remain relevant and engaged, and the strategies to accomplish this." The talk will also shed light on how we can anticipate the future of museums in a world where unexpected events have become the new normal, says Mukherjee. He believes that in the post-pandemic era, the dependency on technology will be "drastically reduced, as art is a sensory activity. We will have to work to win the hearts of the local community by improving infrastructure, exhibition quality, innovative public programming and health safety requirements."

But more than anything, Mehta envisions museums as healing spaces. "Museums are sites of community engagement that can help ease the trauma we've all been through with a variety of programming that's inclusive, entertaining and educative," she signs off.

On: Today, 6.30 pm
Log on to: globalcenters.columbia.edu/mumbai