Master plan for Victoria makeover

KOLKATA: The National Institute of Design will submit a masterplan by the end of this month for a complete overhaul, repair and conservation of the Victoria Memorial Hall.
The interim report of the masterplan — considered to be the first of its kind undertaken by any museum — looks into an integrated approach for designing of the interiors of the Memorial hall.
"We must revamp the museum and the art gallery to provide a better insight and understanding of our collection to the visitors. We also want to modernise it to make it on par with international standards," said Victoria Memorial Hall secretary and curator Chitta Panda.
The reason behind roping in the Ahmedabad-based institute was it would be able to look into all aspects of the majestic edifice before undertaking a complete revamping and conservation.
The masterplan presents
a comprehensive overview of the entire collection in attractive visual format. "No other museum in India has ever had such a comprehensive documentation and clear way of displaying its collection," said Panda. The project — initiated by the ministry of culture — is being prepared a team of experts, including architects, conservation experts and research scholars chosen by NID. They have been working for the past three years.
Former NID professor and chief visualiser of the project, Indra Swaroop Mathur, said the interim report will delve into every aspect of the Memorial''s conservation. "Every effort is being taken to restore it to its former, pristine glory," said Mathur. These include documentation every collection, earmarking a specific gallery for each artefact, looking into the air-conditioning system, lighting, electrical wiring, fire-fighting equipment, accessibility for physically challenged visitors, safety measures and structure management for all the 17 galleries.
According to sources, implementation of the masterplan will cost Rs 80 crore and will take three years for completion.