How going digital and increased community engagement helped Indian museums adapt to the new normal

A few museums in India are vying to be something new upon their post-pandemic resumption rather than a diminished version of what they used to be

Open since May 2021, the Kerala Museum, one of the oldest in Kochi, located amid greenery in the heart of Edappally, has become increasingly busy during weekends. “With almost two years of being cooped up indoors, glued to their screens, visitors seem to like the idea of being back in a green, open space, where they can take in the quietude and bring children too,” says Aditi Nayar, the museum’s director.

Things, however, seem how they used to be. COVID had devastating consequences for museums. Footfalls vanished, revenues plunged, and even the well-funded ones had to slash their payroll. But it also has forced museums to rethink their fundamental purpose and identity. ‘What should a museum be in the post-pandemic world?’ is a question that museum directors across the world ponder on.