Hyderabad's Salarjung Museum facing the brunt of increasing pollution

Hyderabad, Nov 22 : The famous Salarjung museum in Hyderabad that has an exquisite collection of priceless articles like ivory and marble sculptures is facing the brunt of increasing pollution and authorities fear that the antique pieces would soon loose their sheen.

The museum authorities are now taking the help of Victoria and Albert Museum of the United Kingdom, which is the world's greatest museum of art, to preserve these rare paintings and manuscripts.

The Salarjung Museum is one of the largest museums in India housing the exquisite pieces of art from the world over.

Nawab Mir Yousuf Ali Khan Salar Jung III (1889-1949), the prime minister of the seventh Nizam of Hyderabad had a passion for collecting unique pieces of art and spent a substantial amount of his income to collect a priceless collection.

Former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru formally inaugurated the Salarjung Museum in 1951. The museum was shifted to its present location at Afzal Gunj in 1968.

"We were having some difficulties with the pollution levels and to come out of this problem we have recently invited some people from the London- based Victoria and Albert Museum. Two experts who are experts in paintings have come and one of them is also a conservator. The expert has seen the museum's artifacts and suggested some preventive measures," said Virender, deputy keeper at Salarjung Museum.

The process of protecting the articles is intricate and different chemicals are used in preserving different paintings. Even small measures like laying a garden in front of museum will go a long way in cutting the pollution levels drastically.

"I suggested to different committees that we should add a garden in front of the museum to protect the museum's artifacts by settling dust and the trees in the garden would prevent air pollution to some extent. All the entry points to the museum like the doors and the windows have been kept under control and some of the doors that lead towards the galleries have been closed," said Nagender Reddy, director, Salarjung Museum.

The museum is a treat for the connoisseurs of art and literature. It has a collection of over 43000 art objects and 50, 000 books and manuscripts. The collections pertain to Indian art, Middle Eastern art, Far Eastern art, European art and childrens' art along with a founder's gallery and a rare manuscript section. By Narendra

ANI