When it’s holiday time in Mumbai and most of the children are at home, it’s also the time when most of the domestic help has gone off on leave or will be going away in the no-so-merry month of May.
Fear not! You can have the Perfect Mumbai Summer by visiting the local sights that often remain neglected and unseen in the whirl of your busy life .
The perfect city museum
When Anna Shetty and Daughter No. 1 were little, The Bhau Daji Lad Museum used to be our favourite spot to visit especially in the morning or later in the evening when the sun went down. Frankly, when Anna Shetty was a toddler, I used to have my heart in my mouth when we used the convoluted S bridge to get to the museum because she was a poor traveller suffering from motion sickness.
But every time I see it, I feel happy because it reminds me of a casata plonked in the middle of the city. It is stunning with its pista green walls and strawberry pink highlights.
Formerly known as the Victoria & Albert Museum it, is in the heart of Mumbai. It is compact and captures the spirit of Mumbai. Unlike most museums, this one storeyed structure with its quaint turnstile entrance and exquisite chequered tile flooring, magnificent staircase and balustrade is small enough to retain the interest of little ones.
A museum with a difference
The specialty of this museum is the models that portray different scenes in a bygone life – a typical Indian village for one. You can also see models of the Mumbaikar who made up Mumbai – the couples dressed in their traditional costumes . Or you can see soldiers from old Indian regiments.
I love this Museum, more so because it is airy and well ventilated. Long neglected, this gem has once again been reinstated to its former glory by the hard work of Tasneem Mehta .
Today it is a thriving cultural centre with many activities planned year long to make a trip to this Museum truly satisfying.
So if you are from South Bombay, go down the fascinating S bridge to Byculla and make a visit to this lovely, little place.
Remember, however, that the museum unlike others, is closed on Wednesday.
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum,
Veer Mata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan (Rani Baug),
91/A, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Road Byculla East,
Mumbai 400027, Maharashtra, India
+91 22 2373 1234
+91 22 6556 0394
+91 22 2371 5991
+91 22 6556 0394
Hope you do manage a trip to my favourite museum of all time .
Ciao,
p.s. All images used in this post are taken from the original website of the Museum. Surely these will tempt you to make a visit isn’t it?
