National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi

Coordinates: 28°37′36″N 77°13′54″E / 28.626800°N 77.231560°E / 28.626800; 77.231560
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

National Museum of Natural History
Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change
Public transit accessMandi House, Delhi Metro
Websitenmnh.nic.in

The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) was a museum focusing on nature, located in

Barakhamba Road at Tansen Marg in central New Delhi,[2] across from the Embassy of Nepal, near the Connaught Place metro station.[3] On 26 April 2016, the museum building and much of its collection were destroyed by a fire.[4]

Since the fire, the institution has been conducting events in the community while continuing to exhibit at its regional branches in

Bhubaneshwar, Mysore and Sawai Madhopur. A new building is planned in New Delhi and, as of 2022, the government had allocated a site of 6.5 acres for it.[5]

Mission

The NMNH's mission was to promote environmental education, both at NMNH in the capital and at Regional Museums of Natural History in other parts of the country; to provide resources such as school loan kits for schools to use in environmental education; to co-ordinate natural history projects with other agencies and organisations, both nationally and internationally; and to conduct natural history research.[6] The NMNH's director, B Venugopal, also emphasised "intangible natural heritage" (a concept invented by UNESCO[citation needed]) at the museum.[7]

History

The NMNH was created in 1972 as part of the celebration of the 25th year of India's independence. Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, said that India needed such a museum "to promote environmental awareness".[1][2] After several years of development of its building and exhibits, the NMNH opened in 1978, on World Environment Day (5 June).[2]

Following a negative government report in 2012 regarding the building's poor state of maintenance,

National Crafts Museum, Purana Qila and National Science Centre."[8] Regional Museums of Natural History are located in Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Gangtok, Mysuru, and Sawai Madhopur.[7]

Destruction

In the early morning of 26 April 2016, a fire broke out in the museum and destroyed the entire collection.[4] The fire, which began around 01:30 on the sixth floor of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) building where the museum had been housed, eventually reached the second floor and destroyed all of the museum's exhibits before fire services were able to bring the flames under control. Around 200 firefighters and 35 fire engines were called; they took more than three and a half hours to extinguish the fire. Six people who became trapped in the building were later sent to a hospital suffering from smoke inhalation.[9]

The cause of the fire was determined to be a short circuit, although the fire's spread was fuelled by museum specimens and the woodwork holding them.[9] Reports indicate that the devastating effect of the blaze was due to the building's sprinkler system being out of order.[4][10]

Exhibits

A stuffed peacock on display, representing animals of India

Exhibits at the NMNH were focused on India's plants, animals and mineral wealth, and were divided into four main exhibit galleries: "Cell: The Basic Unit of Life", "Conservation", "Introduction to Natural History", and "Nature's Network: Ecology". The museum had an extensive collection of films on wildlife, ecology, conservation and the environment in general, as well as rare biological specimens, including

taxidermists Van Ingen & Van Ingen were part of the museum collection.[12]

The museum also featured a Discovery Room and Activity Room, specifically designed for children, where designated specimens could be handled by visitors. Guided tours, and specially designed resources for disabled visitors, were also available.

big cats".[8]

Plans for future exhibitions, as of 2015, had included "climate change, global warming, combating

Narmada Valley, Gujarat.[13]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "About us". NMNH official site. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d "New, futuristic natural history museum to come up in Delhi". ZeeNews.India.com. Indo‑Asian News Service. 19 July 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  3. ^ a b "National Museum of Natural History". Delhi Information. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d Doshi, Vidhi (26 April 2016). "Fire guts Delhi's natural history museum". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
  5. ^ Adrija Roychowdhury (5 June 2022), "Delhi rewind: How the National Museum of Natural History became a centre for environmental activism in Delhi", Indian Express
  6. ^ "Vision & Mission". NMNH official site. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  7. ^ a b Priyadershini, S. (6 October 2012). "Fragile legacy". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  8. ^ a b c "Makeover for natural history museum". The Times of India. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Fire destroys Delhi's National Museum of Natural History". The Indian Express. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  10. ^ Mehrotra, Sonal (26 April 2016). "Delhi's National Museum of Natural History Destroyed in Massive Fire". NDTV.com.
  11. ^ "Delhi Museum fire: Safety systems failed, priceless exhibits gutted". India Today. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  12. ^ "Massive fire destroys Delhi's National Museum of Natural History". The Times of India. 26 April 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  13. ^ "Museum after blue whale bones". The Times of India. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.

External links

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