Three of the country's most bizarre museums

India might not be as famous for its museums as some European countries, but we can sure give them competition when comparing notes on bizarre finds. The Trip scours the country to find museums dedicated to toilets, utensils and cars

India might not be as famous for its museums as some European countries, but we can sure give them competition when comparing notes on bizarre finds. The Trip scours the country to find museums dedicated to toilets, utensils and cars
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Loo and behold

The Sulabh Museum of Toilets traces the evolution of the toilet, loo or lavatory. Dr Bindeshwar Pathak, the founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation, a non-profit voluntary organisation (NGO) in the field of sanitation in India, set up the museum to educate students about the historical trends in the development of toilets.



The Museum of Toilets has a rare collection of facts, photographs and objects detailing the historic evolution of toilets from 2,500 BC to date, and gives a chronology of developments in terms of technology, toilet related social customs, toilet etiquette, sanitary conditions and legislative efforts of the times.
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The museum also has an extensive display of privies, chamber pots, toilet furniture, bidets and water closets in use from 1145 AD to the modern times along with a rare collection of beautiful poems.
At: Mahavir Enclave, Palam Dabri Road, New Delhi.

Check out a Pool Table Car

Sudha Cars Museum is the first and only handmade, whacky car museum in the world. It is the brainchild of K Sudhakar, a Guinness World Record Holder for making the largest tricycle in the world.
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On display are over 150 different types of cars, shaped like Go Karts, Dune Buggies, Brinjal Car, Camera Car, Cricket Ball Car, Shivling Car, Cup and Saucer Car, Helmet Car, Computer Car, Double Bed Car, Football Car, the list goes on.
At: Sudha Cars 19-5-15/1/D, Bahadurpura, Hyderabad.

When empty vessels make noise

Ahmedabad-based Surendrabhai Patel has set up a Utensils Museum at Vishala Village Retreat. The museum is part of the Vishala Environmental Centre for Heritage and Arts (VECHAAR) founded by Patel, an interior designer by profession.

The museum has on display more than 2,000 traditional utensils of all imaginable sizes and shapesThe hut-like structure of the museum building is quadrangular in shape, with mud plastered over it. It has pots to store water, utensils to cook and serve, spoons, rolling pins and a huge vessel, in which buttermilk is churned, on display.

Apart from the innumerable brass, bronze and copper ware, there over 600 betel-nut crackers on display, each one more aesthetic than the other. An array of water containers or lotas, display a high level of craftsmanship. The collections are from all over the country Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and even Central Asia.
At: Vechaar Utensils Museum, Vishala Village Retreat, Vasna Toll Naka, Ahmedabad.

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