A day at the Museum

The formerly Prince of Wales Musieum off Kala Ghodha is a super place to go when your down on your finances. If your an Indian its Rs. 30 per adult less if your a child. If you are a foreigner it does cost Rs 300 quite a bit more but I think far less then you would pay to visit a museum in most countries of the world.

If you have no money well then I recommend you wander in and potter about the superbly maintained gardens of the museum and take in the beautiful architecture of the grandiose architectural structure that is the museum. It is simply iconic with a very distinctive dome and beautifully maintained gardens. If your a romantic sort of person you want to go there just now regardless of the rains to gaze upon the lone tree close to the central structure of the museum which is in full blossom with most beautiful pink flowers on display.

If you are lucky when you visit you may come upon a bazaar of tribal or other goods from all over India. The best new is that it costs nothing to go potter about and browse around. bear in mind through that if you want to see the treasures the museum bears you will have to pay but really my coconut vendor charges me more for one coconut (feel free to let me know if I am being robbed blind) so I really do not think its much even on a very financially challenging day.

A word of warning to those who have not tread upon a tourist spot frequented by domestic Indian tourists, tolerance and patience are the only things that will enable you to enjoy the experience. You have to bear in mind that most Indian tourists who end up at the museum are from small towns and villages so there may be a lot left to desire if you thought the ettiquette of the average Indian city dweller was appauling. On the other hand they may think just as poorly of you, your clothes etc etc so be patient. I strongly advise visiting the museum at an odd hour of a working day.

It is super to know that the government is working hard to develop, renovate and work with the museum on many new an innovative acitivities, including lots of activities that involve educating children. It may be worth looking up the museum's website for more details.

Now I love heritage structures like the Museum and loathe the newer steel and concrete messes that suddenly seem to sprout up in the city. However I do not hate the all new steel funky steel structure that houses a brand new ticket book and a very cool looking shop. The shop looked very tempting but was shut as it was still being stocked. I have to say I will go back just to potter about the shop which I am sure will be another thing one can do for free in Bombay.

Now a word of caution to all those Indians that can pass off as foreigners, get some identification stating your Indian. And note speaking a number of Indian languages will not help at all it may just fuel the war of words you will have with people who think your out there to fleece them of Rs. 270 more the foreigners pay into another language.

When you enter the main building you enter a foyer in which you get a taste of all things to come. You can see some mogal miniatures, a few ancient structures which probably pre-date Christ by mellenia and lots of other things. What I was thrilled to see was an information desk well stocked with people who were happy to point out to you where what was! And if you wanted to you could rent audio guides in many languages form them, which I did not do.

On both sides of the main foyer are galleries and long porches that house sculptures and stone tables form the Buddhist and Jain eras. You also can see very ancient statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses which were exquisite. What I was not keen on is the fact that they were not protected by glass and anyone can reach out and literally paw or grab at them. I remember this was the case when I had gone to the museum as a school girl. Whats amazing is that everything seems to still be there and now its quite simply as my 5 year old puts it awesome.

I do know that at the end of the left porch is the museum's natural history section which children absolutely find amazing as they have stuffed animals and birds of every imaginable variety and they make up in very well replicated models of things they do not have in clay. I unfortunately am a tremendous animal lover and could not bear to see dead stuffed animals but my 5 year old did go on another visit with friends and the children were quite fascinated.

I was unable to enjoy the first floor which housed some lovely exhibits form other Asian countries as I found that part of the museum very claustrophobic. There were no windows or air outlets at all, loads of people and no airconditioning or any other means to keep air circulation going.

What I did enjoy were two of the famous Chinese terracotta warriors which were on exhibit along with a lot of other Chinese artifacts which were wonderfully preserved and displayed. That section of the museum was air conditioned, I am sure the Chinese must have insisted so their exhibits stay in the condition that they were sent.

A feature I noticed most males seemed to enjoy, no not nude anythings there were none, was the numismatic section. That simply somehow translates into the museum's coin collection. It was interesting for a quick walk about to me but there were men gawping at coins as I would inside a Chanel window for the sighting of their latest handbag.

The highlight of my visit was the recently opened Jehangir Nicholson wing which houses a cross-section of modern Indian art. I have to say I was expecting a bit more then just air conditioning and the extra security from the exhibit, which was great, but I feel something was amiss or very predominantly lacking. Perhaps it was just the fact that I had worked myself up to expecting much, much more form the art on show.

Anyway so if you really are short on cash or you have people of various ages visiting from out of town and they expect culture, entertainment, experiencing Indian culture the museum is your best bet. If really your totally broke then the just walking the grounds and taking in the majesty of the building will make you feel rich in your experiences if not your wallet.

Kala Ghodha: a discovery in of culture and art

If you find yourself in South Bombay and have some time to kill just head straight to the cultural hub of the city, Kala Ghodha. Whatever budget you have will do for an afternoon in Kala Ghodha having money is optional, unless your driving then you will have to pay for parking.

I can’t suggest a better place to start then the museum and its majestic grounds. A walk from the museum to the Jehangir Art Gallery is laden with street art and it’s called the Pavement Art Gallery. It is a place of great interest to me you never know when you will discover there and its an opportunity to invest in a maybe great artist. My mother swears that when she was a young girl this bearded man used to chat with her and ask her to buy his artworks there. I assure you if she did so today we would have sold his art work and I would be self publishing my own books if not own a publishing house! That artist today if the legendary MF Hussain!!!

If your walking through the Pavement Art Gallery you will end up at the Jehangir Art gallery and for those who like cutting edge art by the Museum Art gallery in the Max Muller Bhavan building. Great news to all those on a very low budget outing, its all free. If your hungry there are loads of stalls from time to time on the streets to grab a budget snack.

If your hungry and want a nice meal cross the street to find a wide range of restaurants ranging from Joss which has a good spread to the Bombay Blue franchise which is the epitome of reasonably priced food. There is a snacky place on the road and a Chinese place but I have never had the chance to try either. I am told that Chetna does decent vegetarian food but the fact that the bookstore behind it is a treasure trove of spiritual books and they have some other cute nic naks I can vouch for. The staff at Chetna bookstore is very educated on all the publications and if you have time to spare you can discuss a few spiritual and mythological topics with them who knows you may add to your knowledge from a chat, again great on a low budget as its free.

After lunch you may want to pop into Rhythm House and browse through CD’s, movies, magazines and nifty accessories. In the days before you could download movies and music of the internet it was a place swamped with college students. If the thought that when you were a teenager you had cassettes gets you feeling old and down cross the road and visit the Art Entrance, which in my opinion has a steady stream of really nice artists exhibits. Westside is next door and they are very proud of their new deli so peak in there for dinner ingredients if you have money to spare and do not mind tampons in close proximity to your food. As the tampons were in packets and obviously unused it did not bother me but if you’re a fussy about segregating sanitary wear from food heads up.

One of my favorite people watching places in Bombay is the trendy but way too healthy for a meal Kala Ghodha café. I do love to go there but it contradicts my if your going out forget your diet at home rule. If your lucky on the way to the Kala Ghodha café which is tucked in a by lane behind Rhythm House there you may be able to get permission of the dozen or so police officers hovering about to get a peak inside the beautiful synagogue. By now if for some reason if you have not had your fill of art there is a tiny gallery next to the Kala Ghodha café and if you walk back to the Museum and cross the road you will be assaulted by the Modern Art Museum.

A must visit for all foreign tourists is FabIndia which is a bit off the Kala Ghodha square. When I lived overseas I used to buy loads of things from my house and for my friends from there. Its three floors of clothes, house accessories and it also has a small organic section for a few select edibles.

If you just want to potter and chill out without OD’ing on culture you can grab lunch or coffee and go to the movies a few minute away form the Museum of Modern Art. A word to those who have never watched a movie in India it can be a slightly jarring experience. I am still not used to the fact that every single time I manage to engrossed in the film it shuts down abruptly, the lights will flicker on the screen flashes intermission and everyone will vanish to pee and eat.

So as you may have guessed in the next few weeks I will be sharing my adventures in Kala Ghodha with you.