Mumbai's double decker may get permanent place in Gurugram museum

Vintage cars on display at the heritage museum in Gurugram. Pictures/Rajendra B Aklekar

A Mumbai double-decker may possibly find its way to the Heritage Transport Museum at Gurugram in Haryana. Following a story by mid-day, the transport museum has written to the BEST undertaking, appealing them to hand over one double-decker bus to the museum for display being a significant part of Mumbai's transport history.

A peep at what the museum is about

A Western Railway's Royal Saloon from the 1930s, a running steam locomotive, vintage cars and planes - the Heritage Transport Museum at Tarau in Gurugram is a transport enthusiasts' dream come true. This museum is dedicated extensively to all kinds of transport, of this scale is not to be found anywhere else in India. If things go right, Mumbai's iconic double-decker bus will soon join this prestigious bandwagon.

Situated on a three-acre plot off National Highway 8 at Tauru-Gurugram with a built-up area of over 90,000 square feet and the air-conditioned space spread over four floors houses the exhibition galleries, library and reference centre, conference rooms, mini auditorium, the museum shop, and a restaurant facility. The museum showcases the evolution of transportation in India.

"It sets a benchmark in interpretation, exhibition and in communication. As the first private museum of its scale in India, it is conceived as a didactic space that engages visitor participation in learning while remaining a family experience," says founder Tarun Thakral.

Thakral has written a formal request letter to BEST general manager to hand over one double-decker bus for permanent display at the museum. Modelled on the lines of the iconic red London double-decker buses, the buses were introduced in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1937 and have stayed on. The BEST undertaking has now over a period of next one year taken 60 of these buses, half the existing fleet of 120 buses, for scrap, as their life is over.

Jung and Kerr Stuart steam locomotives

The museum promises to be an out-of-the-world experience for every visitor and there are sections that one cannot even imagine. For example, there is a Bollywood section that displays cars used in Indian cinema and many such things.

The automobile gallery showcases the evolution of the Indian car industry as well as cars that have been used in India since the advent of motoring. The railway section explores the grandeur of travel by rail through a historically inspired railway platform and a 1930s restored railway saloon from Bombay Baroda and Central India Railway (BB&CIR) now Western Railway.

The aviation section details the history and evolution of the Indian aviation industry, including early trials and experiments and the history and growth of Air India. Also on display are early models of aircraft used in India, supported by original posters, timetables, tickets and advertisements. Designed like a bus depot, the heavy mechanised transport section showcases the romance of bus journeys with a display of restored buses.

It has some rare exhibits like Tram car number 204, acquired from Calcutta Tramways in September 2017. It is one of the last few surviving wood-bodied trams.

Of live steam, the museum has acquired and restored a 1953 Jung Steam locomotive giving Gurgaon its first fully-operational steam engine.

"Curiosity, the passion to collect homogenous objects, the search for the rare, unique and often elusive is what impassions all collectors. This is where it all started for the Heritage Transportation Trust. Registered under the Indian Trust Act (1882) as a non-profit organisation it was conceived to document, exhibit, educate and disseminate information about transportation. In collaboration with five other trustees, we have brought together a passion for collecting all forms of objects related to transportation in India. After over two decades of research about the evolution of the modes of transportation that formed the plinth of the collection in possession of the Trust, the Heritage Transport Museum was initiated as India's first comprehensive transport museum," Thakral said.

Thakral originally had been a car collector and started collecting cars in 1994, but then decided to build a museum and show his cars to the public. But then instead of just being a museum for his cars, he conceived this exceptional Heritage Transport Museum. Check out here.

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