There are some days that are just made to get out of the house. And when you are with children, you can be sure that it better be a place with lots to see and do. Despite the somewhat fuddy duddy image of a ‘museum’, museums can be great fun to go to. Let’s take a hike across to some of the unusual museums in Delhi and see what they have in store for a bunch of restless minds.
Rail Transport Museum at Chanakyapuri
Of interest to any child, the Rail Transport Museum has an exotic collection of old coal and steam engines, royal coaches, and train artefacts.
Of course, the most popular attraction is the little toy train that takes visitors for a little ride around the sprawling park which houses the museum’s collections of locomotives. Established in 1977, the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9.30 to 5 p.m..
The sprawling park is divided into two sections – a covered wing and the open-air portion. In the open-air section, 27 locomotives and 17 carriages stand on short tracks in the open air. From a model of the first engine to the saloon car of the Maharaja of Baroda, the royal coach of the Maharaja of Mysore, and the saloon and dining car used by the Prince of Wales, the museum has it all! Steps built next to the coaches enable visitors to look in without touching or damaging the exquisite models.
The covered section of the museum has models of famous engines and coaches, explanations of gauge lines, old tickets, train plates and engine numbers, signals and a good collection of books at the library.
Museum of Natural History
After Jurassic Park, the fascination with prehistoric animals has revived and the museum at Barakhamba Road, has it all. Fossils, stuffed animals, birds and even a hands-on discovery room for children. A sure attraction, the museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday.
Museums of Delhi [Illustration by Anup Singh]
Set up by political cartoonist, K. Shankar Pillai, Shankar’s International Dolls Museum has one of the largest collection of costume dolls anywhere in the world. The Museum, open between Tuesday and Sunday, is divided into two sections housing over 6,500 exhibits. Dolls from all over the world are displayed with a special collection of over 150 kinds of authentic Indian dolls made at the dolls workshop attached to the museum.
Indian dolls made at the workshop are exchanged for gifts received from abroad as well as sold to collectors and other museums in India and abroad. Each doll is hand crafted after meticulous research into the physical attributes, dress and jewellery of individual characters. This museum is in fact a great attraction for children as they get to see various dresses and costumes of the world, which is not possible otherwise. This is the simplest way of understanding world culture.
Crafts Museum
Nestled in the Pragati Maidan Exhibition grounds, the crafts museum has a collection of traditional Indian handicrafts and tribal arts including various items in metal and wood.
Besides the covered museum area and library, the museum also includes real size replicas of traditional homes from all over India. So, whether it is a glass covered hut from Gujarat or a home on stilts from Nagaland, the museum has them all.
The open air section also houses stalls of visiting craftsmen. So you can not only buy a beautiful craft object, you can even see it being made. Kalamkari artists, terracotta potters, lacquer bangle makers, even shawl weavers, the crafts museum has them all for you to see and touch. On a lucky day, your young ones could even be treated to a puppet show! Add the hot samosas and tea the museum chai shop has become famous for, and you’ll have the perfect outing.
Air Force Museum
Attached to the Air Force Station at Palam, the museum is a hot favourite with boys. Fighter aircraft of all shapes sit seemingly ready for take-off in the hangar. Outside, bullet-ridden helicopters, jeeps and even plane wreckage recovered during the Indo-Pak and Indo-China wars, are a grim reminder of the tough job our flyers have to do. You can pick up replicas of fighter jets but stay away from the canteen. The food breaks all taste barriers.
National Philatelic Museum
For the avid philatelist, an excellent and extensive collection of stamps from all over the world on display at this museum at the Dak Bhavan (Ministry of Posts). The museum is open only on weekdays and is a great way to introduce your child to the world of philately. Collecting stamps is a wonderful and educative experience as it is not only informative but widens the child’s horizons and arouses curiosity about stamp collection, history and geography, personalities, animals, birds, etc. apart from special themes issued by various countries.
Other museums
The National Museum has a collection from various periods dating from 2 B.C. and miniature paintings offering an insight into the past. The Mohenjodaro and Harappa section normally attracts the attention of school goers, and you can buy replicas of Harappan seals too.
National Gallery of Modern Art has a collection of works by Indian and colonial artists. The museum conducts an annual art appreciation workshop which is very popular with slightly older children, and even parents.
