Watch | How Kerala is transforming its museums

A video on how museums in Kerala are showcasing the State’s gripping evolutionary story, and connecting more with locals and their stories

Kerala has a unique history shaped over the centuries by cultures from both outside and inside the Indian subcontinent.  But for years, museums in Kerala hardly showcased the State’s gripping evolutionary story. The largely neglected museums did not have much of a connect with the local people and their lives.

But since 2011, things have been changing for the better. This was largely driven by the efforts of Dr. V. Venu, the current chief secretary of Kerala, who was then the tourism and cultural secretary.

Globally, museums are being decolonised, where colonial artefacts are slowly being replaced with indigenous ones. Similarly, efforts are being made to change the way museums are conceived and presented in Kerala. The aim is to show life, both from the past and the present, with a deep local connect.

For instance, we could have a museum on how migration helped shape Kerala as we know it today.

In this video, we look at how the Interactive Museum of Cultural History of Kerala (IMCK), also known as Keralam Museum, is transforming Kerala into a museum hub, with their training and outreach programmes, and more.

Read more: Kerala’s museums are undergoing a sea change, from storehouses to story-tellers

Report: Aparna Nair