Role of Museums and their Curators in Constructing the Public History of India

Abstract

newlineThe narrative of history varies with person describing it and though it is an objective matter, nevertheless subjectivity creeps in unknowingly. The perspective of writing and documenting has flavors of personal choices, experiences and the sources chosen to write the same whether it is of the author or the curator. Since times immemorial, communities have lived together and tried to preserve their memories and culture in their own particular way. Few of them have been documented and many have never been done professionally but passed on to generations through living rituals, traditions and folklores. This study aims to understand the concept of public history and the role of museums in documenting and preserving the public history for the future generations. According to the World Museum Community, there are more than 55,000 museums in 202 countries in which India has approximately 1000 museums spread in almost every state. Historically, museums are mostly government owned with limited facilities for conservation of objects and their interpretation to common mass.