Museums are fundamentally Educational Institutions devoted to develop and strengthen non formal education through engaging experiences.
Today education is not limited to classroom and hands on experiential learning is fast gaining foothold among educationists. Museums are repositories of knowledge helping to educate people on cultural history, STEM, Art and about life and work of distinguished people from past.
The guided tours, interactive sessions with subject experts help educators to teach curriculum as museums are considered to be a reliable source of information. Students attending the educational trip to museum satisfy their natural curiosity regarding the subject surrounded by well curated subject material. It has been recognised that museums play an effective role in enhancing knowledge and understanding of multi disciplines to the students effectively .
Museums explore partnerships and collaborative opportunities to invite and involve student and people’s participation for upkeep and running them. Through exhibitions and discussions students are engaged in Science, Maths, Technology, Medicine, Art, Religion, Politics, Humanities, Social Science and much more. There are different kinds of Museums based on the collection housed, like National Museum, Science City, Doll Museum, Craft Museum, Rail Museum, Planetariums, Tea Museums, History Museums, Petroleum museums and many more.
In short Museums play critical role in cultivation of minds. Museums house real artefacts, dioramas, immersive exhibitions lending positive environment to foster learning among students. The Educators are using educational trips to museums to supplement the classroom learning. The conception of a subject becomes clearer when the students find themselves physically surrounded by elements theoretically taught in classroom. The hands on lab and touching real objects add to the learning experience aiding visual retention.
The rise in cultural tourism and experiential learning in recent decades has given phenomenal rise to the Museums. In 1975 the recorded number of museums were 22000 across the globe but now the number is 55000. The increasing numbers and varied types of museums indicate interest of people in exploring various educational aspects with Museums. In India there are more than 200 museums. In recent times some very well curated private museums have also gained popularity through social media.
The digitisation has reinvented Museums in Western world but India has yet to catch up on the subject. This digitisation has turned Museums into vibrant cultural spaces out of India and has added to the foot falls tremendously. Most of the Museums in India are state run and needs upgradation as well as digitisation. The private museums are collaborating with industry experts to equip the spaces with technology to make them more relevant while Government run museums are limited by protocols and lack of funds.
On this International Museum Day we are listing top ten Museums and Galleries rated by National Geographic book are listed below to facilitate exploration and seek places of interest.
Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. USA
Le Louvre Paris, France
The Acropolis Museum Athens, Greece
State Hermitage St. Petersburg, Russia
The British Museum London, England
The Prado Madrid, Spain
The Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City, USA
The Vatican Museums Vatican City, Italy
The Uffizi Gallery Florence, Italy
Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Indian top 20 Museum list will give an insight for exploring rich culture, history, Art, heritage and more. The four Indian Museums are listed in top 25 Museums of Asia.
Calico Museum of Textile Ahmedabad, Gujarat
HAL Heritage Centre and Airspace Museum Bangaluru, Karnataka
Government Museum Chennai, Tamil Nadu
National Museum New Delhi, Delhi
National Rail Museum New Delhi, Delhi
SalarJung Museum Hyderabad, Telangana
Indian Museum Kolkatta, West Bengal
Victoria Memorial Kolkatta, West Bengal
Albert Museum Jaipur, Rajasthan
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum Mumbai, Maharashtra
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya Mumbai, Maharashtra
Napier Museum Thiruvanthapuram, Kerala
Sulabh Toilet Museum
Desert Culture Centre and Museum Jaisalmer, Rajasthan
TU 142 Aircraft Museum Vizag, Andhra Pradesh
Netaji Bhawan Kolkatta, West Bengal
Birla Industrial and Technological Museum Kolkatta, West Bengal
INS Kurusuna Submarine Museum Vizag, Andhra Pradesh
Heritage Transport Museum Gurugram, Haryana
Hall of Fame Leh, Ladakh
Lets celebrate the spirit of learning this International Museum Day, these knowledge banks need more of you.
Happy International Museum Day !