Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 16 (IANS) The National Museum will launch campus museums in Kochi in Kerala and at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh as part of its initiative to promote art and culture among students across the country, it was announced Thursday.

The announcement was made by Food, Public Distribution and Consumer Affairs Minister K.V. Thomas after inaugurating an arts and crafts workshop “Know Your Museum” for students at the National Museum here, a statement released by the National Museum said.

The museums will come up at Sacred Heart College in Kochi and Kangra Art Museum in Dharamshala, Thomas added.

“There are a number of educational institutions which are not in a position to come to museums because of various reasons, so the museum has to reach out to them by setting up museums in the campuses. This can be done by means of photographs of original objects and replicas of the art objects. The National Museum has recently set up the first people’s museum at St. Ephrem’s Higher Secondary School in Mannanam in Kottyam in Kerala,” Thomas said.

National Museum administrator C.V. Ananda Bose said the initiative to set up another campus museum in Kerala will go a long way in helping students know their art and culture.

He also added that all museums should try and organise educational activities which should involve school children.

“We should provide the right environment for children to know their art and culture. The museum is one of the places where a student can gather optimum knowledge from a very nascent age,” Bose said.

Thomas lauded the National Museum for the “Know Your Museum” initiative.

“This creates awareness among school children about the art objects in the National Museum collection. This will also strengthen their inborn creativity, imagination and innovative skills through observation of museum objects,” he said.

The “Know Your Museum” workshop of art and crafts for students will continue in the National Museum till June 29.