Educational excursion to Prince of Wales museum .Witty International School Pawan Baug (2017-18).

India and the World – A History in Nine Stories

 At, Witty International School, Pawan Baug, we believe that field trips are important to help bridge the gap between education and hands-on experience.  It is strongly asserted that field trip is one of the best tools that we can use to provide every student with real-world experiences This is why we organise regular excursions for students to promote this multisensory learning experience where one can bring one dimensional lessons to life and create enthusiasm for a subject that is hard to replicate through other media.

The students of Grade VI and VII were taken for a magnificent exhibition visit to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS). This immersive exhibition chronicles nine important moments in history to make us understand how various civilisations across the world are linked to one another. From rare sculptures to coins, the show was packed with rare artefacts, where the children learnt about their history on the tour.

It showcased some of the most important objects and works of art from the Indian subcontinent, in dialogue with iconic pieces from the British Museum collection. It highlights the strong connections India has shared historically with the rest of the world, promoting an exchange of ideas and influences that have helped create a global culture

The exhibition riffs on pairings and combinations that bring surprise and delight in its nine rooms, one for each of the stories mentioned in the title. The nine stories are not stories as much as themes set in progressing time periods, from early documentation of urban settlements in Asia to India’s shared experiences of colonialism and freedom from it to modern art.

The show’s 230 objects speak to India’s shared history with the rest of the world. Around half the objects are from the British Museum, while the rest are from Delhi, Mumbai and around 20 smaller museums and private collections in India. Other objects depict more directly not just parallel histories between India and other countries, but India’s direct interactions with them. For instance, in the room that shows maritime trade in the Indian Ocean, there is a 17th century Kalamkari cotton piece from Golconda in the Deccan plateau that shows a Persian prince handing a flower to a woman wearing a European hat.

All the foreign objects are from the British Museum, a reminder that so many countries have been plundered by collectors from the western world over the centuries, and also that their histories have been preserved there.

Principal, Mr Bijo Kurian expressed, “Culture is a key part of the India-World relationship and this landmark exhibition is a great example of how our leading institutions can work together to reach new audiences and explore our shared past The aim of the exposing our children to such exhibitions is to showcase a universal culture and India’s contribution in World history. It also promotes a new way of seeing the Indian culture in relation to other cultures and geographies. Exhibitions like this not only foster a spirit of enquiry, but also one that appreciates and celebrates the differences in the world, as it does its similarities.”