Delhi will get it’s first museum dedicated to the Partition of India in 1947 after the Delhi Government decided to convert the Mughal-era Dara Shikoh Library building into a 1947 Partition Museum. The museum would be an extension of Amritsar museum and this would be the second such museum in India to showcase the Partition of 1947.
The museum will have seven galleries to explain the events leading up to the Partition and Independence, the migration, refugees, rebuilding homes, in the mind of the artist, rebuilding relationships and a gallery of hope and courage.
It will also feature a virtual reality experience, donated belongings of partition witnesses, and a souvenir shop. The Dara Shikoh Library building is located at Mori Gate in Old Delhi. Built in 1643, the building currently stands in the Ambedkar University Delhi campus.
It was named after Shah Jahan’s eldest son, Dara Shikoh. The library, built in 1643, will also serve as a cultural hub with exhibitions on different aspects of the city and its history. The museum is due to be opened soon.
The museum would offer an immersive virtual reality experience, which would allow visitors to explore partition memories from the people.
Witnessing the same rail coaches, ancient havelis, and replicas of refugee camps would be exciting and nostalgic for many. Letters, certificates, clothes, utensils, and photographs belonging to individuals who migrated across the border during the 1947 India-Pakistan Partition —these are some of the exhibits that will be on display as Delhi’s first Partition Museum.
The museum will also showcase artifacts like a refugee card, an Independence-era electricity meter from Lahore, handmade items given as gifts in 1942, a sewing machine, land deed for properties from Jhang, Punjab, dating back 1918.
The museum will also feature stories of individuals who visited their homes in Pakistan after the Partition and outline their experiences. It will also focus on stories beyond the border.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited the upcoming museum on Friday and inspected the site’s progress. During his visit, he interacted with curators who provided him with a rundown of the work that had been completed on the project. He said historical buildings across Delhi symbolise the country’s evolution over a period of time, adding that the Delhi Government has prioritised restoring these landmarks to help generations understand the country better.
Sisodia also noted that there could not have been a better place than the Dara Shikoh Library building to house the Partition Museum. Major parts of the national Capital, including areas like Lajpat Nagar, CR Park, and Punjabi Bagh, were established after the Partition, he added.
The museum’s opening will also coincide with the 76th anniversary of Indian independence.
Under the British rule, the Dara Shikoh Library served as a British Residency for David Ochterlony, Archibald Seton and Charles Metcalf. In the 20th century, the property was also used as a school, polytechnic and lastly the offices of Delhi State Archaeology Department. The Arts and Cultural Heritage Trust (TACHT), which set up a Partition Museum in Amritsar, has adopted the heritage building inside the Ambedkar University campus as a part of the Adopt a Heritage initiative. Conservation work at DSLB was undertaken by the Delhi Government’s department of art, culture and language. Besides hosting exhibitions and galleries, the museum has been envisioned as a cultural hub that will host multiple events.
