Partition Museum In Delhi's Dara Shikoh Library To Open On Thursday

A museum themed on the Partition, telling the story of the 1947 tragedy and representing the pain and trauma suffered by people on both sides of the border, is all set to open at the Mughal-era Dara Shikoh Library building here on May 18.

This will be the second such museum after the Partition Museum of Amritsar located in the historic Town Hall.

The opening will coincide with International Museum Day.

The Art, Culture and Languages Department of the Delhi government shared tweets with descriptive posts about the upcoming museum.

"As we approach the launch of the Partition Museum on May 18th, 2023, we are excited to share fascinating details about how this historic event shaped Delhi. Only 3 days to go!," it tweeted.

The library building is located in Delhi's Kashmere Gate area. The museum will tell the story of the 1947 tragedy through interactive media.

On February 17, the then Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia visited the museum site and inspected the progress of the project.

The Deputy Chief Minister's office had earlier said in a statement that the building of the historic library, built in 1637, was being converted into a 1947 Partition Museum by the Delhi government under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

"The second such museum in India, it will have seven galleries to explain the events leading up to the Partition, and Independence, migration, refugees, rebuilding homes, art, relationships and will also have a gallery of hope and courage," it said.

The museum will also feature a "virtual reality experience", donated belongings of people who witnessed the Partition, and a souvenir shop. The library will also serve as a cultural hub with exhibitions on different aspects of the city and its history.

Sisodia after his visit had said that historical buildings located across Delhi symbolise the country's evolution over a period of time, adding the city government has "prioritised restoration" of these landmarks to help current generations understand the country better.

There could not have been a better place than the Dara Shikoh Library to house the Partition Museum, he had said.

The museum would endeavour to depict the memories of the 1947 Partition as experienced by people, officials said.

The period transformed Delhi significantly and major parts of the national capital, including areas like Lajpat Nagar, C R Park and Punjabi Bagh, were established after the Partition.

The city's Art, Culture and Languages Department is sharing on Twitter tidbits about institutions that were originally located in Lahore and other cities and suffered the pangs of the Partition too, such as the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Dyal Singh College.

It also shared how some of the food items were brought to Delhi by refugees, and markets set up for rehabilitating refugees such as Meherchand Market in Lodhi Road area.

The museum would feature seven customised galleries designed to explain all aspects of India's Partition and the struggle for Independence to visitors. Witnessing the same rail coaches, ancient havelis, and replicas of refugee camps would be exciting and nostalgic for many, the statement had said.

Many people who witnessed the Partition have donated items such as clothes, utensils, books as well as belongings from refugee camps to the museum, officials said.

It will also have a special gallery dedicated to Sindh, the statement said.

The museum would also include a 'Gallery of Hope and Courage' which would display photographs, mementoes, and experiences of people revisiting their ancient properties and places in Pakistan, decades after the Partition.

The Dara Shikoh Library building was originally built in 1637 by Dara Shikoh, the eldest son of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. After the death of Shikoh, this mansion was handed over to Bahadur Shah I, heir apparent of Aurangzeb.

"Sometime after his ascension, the property was handed over to Juliana Dias da Costa, a lady of Portuguese descent who played a prominent role in his court. Abul Mansur Mirza Muhammad Muqim Ali Khan (Safdarjung) bought the property very cheaply from the descendants of Juliana Dias da Costa and made it his residence," the statement added.

Under British rule, it 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, a polytechnic and lastly as the offices of the Delhi State Archaeology Department.

Thereafter, The Arts And Cultural Heritage Trust (TAACHT) was entrusted with the building under the 'Adopt A Heritage' scheme of the Centre, by the Department of Art, Culture and Language, to set up the Partition Museum.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)