The National Museum of Delhi has recently launched ‘Yuva Saathi’, an innovative two-pronged programme that aims at wooing young minds towards the country’s treasured artifacts.
This three-month certificate Yuva Saathi course aims at equipping college students as guides for school groups at the museum. Under this programme, college students who will be certified with Yuva Saathi, would be guiding their counterparts from schools on their visits to the Capital’s biggest custodian of historical objects.
Convocation of the first batch which comprised of 30 undergraduate students of Yuva Saathi, was observed on the day of launch. Union Minister of Culture, Chandresh Kumari Katochi, formally inaugurated Yuva Saathi and gave away the certificates at the museum to the volunteers. Dr Venu Vasudevan, National Museum director general, said: “We thought college-going students would be a good choice as guides for schoolchildren at the museum. Communication will be free and fresh between generations that are closer by age”.
Dr Manvi Seth, National Museum Institute (NMI) who has conceptualised this programme, said: “Yuva Saathi tour package has 30 stops same as the Volunteer Guide Program (VGP). But the two would differ. This tour is shorter in duration, and the storyline is simpler.”
The major stops would include the Dancing Girl of Mohenjodaro, a child learning the Brahmi alphabet from the Sunga period and a Gupta-era sculpture depicting lakshmana disfiguring Shoorpanaka.
The inaugural-batch of Yuva Saathi volunteers comprises of current students of NMI besides undergraduates from five Delhi colleges — St Stephen’s, lady Sri Ram College, Sri Venkateswara, Miranda House and Jesus and Mary.
August 14 is the last date for undergraduates to apply for the three-month certificate course aimed. The classes will start on August 26, 2013 and students will be made volunteers in November.