Three museums collaborate to share their collections

Throne of Weapons, Mozambique, 2001, from the British Museum collection

History is always more vibrant when removed from specificities and placed in a larger context. Imagine the possibilities when museums from around the world begin to share their collections to stitch together a comprehensive picture of the past. A step in that direction is the exhibition, India And The World: A History In Nine Stories, a collaboration between Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), the British Museum and the National Museum, New Delhi, hosted in the city by the year-end.

Thirumala-Nayaka

The exhibits include some of the most important objects and works of art from the Indian subcontinent - pooled in from CSMVS, other Indian institutions and private collections - brought together with iconic pieces from the British Museum collection. Visitors can expect to see large-scale sculptures, inscriptions and coins, paintings, jewellery and tools. Objects from the British Museum include a bronze head of the Emperor Hadrian, one of the most famous Roman emperors, and one of the earliest hand axes found in Africa, which speaks of our shared beginnings, shares Dr Hartwig Fischer, the museum's director.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee

"The proposed exhibition will select nine important moments in India's history to explore what was happening across the globe. India will be the portal through which the visitor will travel outward," says Sabyasachi Mukherjee, director general, CSMVS.

Exploring the scope of such collaborations is tomorrow's panel discussion that brings together directors of the three museums, including Dr BR Mani from the capital's National Museum. The panel will highlight the importance of touring exhibitions.