As one of the older & wiser members of the trainee community [I mean old as in length of time I’ve been here, ok?!] I would like to take this opportunity to advice you all to NOT go to this place!This is the City Museum where I had the misfortune of visiting on Saturday, I thought I was in for a cultural treat and boy was I wrong!
It is 3 floors dedicated to detailing the development of Chandigarh and it ain’t fun. From a glass case you can view the minutes of various meetings or read the letters and correspondence that went on while they tried to decide the best architect for the job…you can also amuse yourself with the signs such as ‘There was much jargon to be learnt’.
Anyway I wouldn’t advise it, it makes for a boring 5 minutes…5 minutes of my life I’ll never get back….
12 comments:
i have to make a comment in here Jean, because we know how important the are...
Hey Jean,
Its not THAT bad...
And since you mentioned 5 minutes, i guess you did not go upstairs, which has this huge 3D map kinda thing on the huge wall and some models of buildings that were planned but not created, and some which were.
I guess the biggest thing is the concept of what exactly should be in a "City Museum". This one was made because of the 'big' thing with Chandigarh being a 'planned city' n all that goes with it. So, the "City Museum" has details about the city, expecially how it came about and the more boring architechtural details.
If you wanted to see something more 'museum'y, you should have gone to the Govt Museum and Art Gallery. That's the big building to your right as you exit the 'City Museum'. It has paintings, coins, sculptures, artifacts and the like. I guess that's what you expected to see...
Oh, a word of advice though for anyone wanting to go to this one, i.e. "Govt. Museum and Art Gallery", it IS open on Sundays. It is however closed on Mondays... just so you know...
Yes, I did visit the Govt. museum, I did the whole culture trail but after coming out of this place all I wanted to do was sleep…or anything that did not involve the word museum…and for the record I was determined to find something interesting in there, hey I didn’t want to feel I was wasting my time & did go upstairs but face it, it is boring- I don’t care if the map is 3D it’s boring, if they want my attention & excitement about a map of a city where I live they could at least make it virtual or something…or point out the sites of gruesome happenings…now that would brighten my Saturday!
You know you should be able to hear some criticism about Chandigarh – no place is perfect and it’s not a direct attack or insult on the residents of the city.
No attack or insult taken... :)
And dearest Jean, the only 4 words in there which reflect an image that i took offense to what you wrote are "Its not THAT bad...". Except that, my point of view in there is quite neutral... i think :)
And If you re-read what i wrote, i did mention the word "boring" in there somewhere. And i agree with you on the point of dullness. Even i find it well, lets say not-that-exciting ;)
Plus the entire atmosphere in there is damp and depressing. But still, I know a lot of people (Indian and non-Indian) who've been there and liked it a little/lot and i know a lot of people who literally hated the place and wanted to burn it down or something. I guess it comes down to what one is expecting and what kind of things one likes.
e.g. Last year, I spent about 15 hrs (in three days) in that place, helping a friend who was documenting all the info in there, armed with cameras and notebooks. So, i've had as much with that place as i possibly can, still, neither do i love the place, nor hate it (and that's not just because its my city). It seems to serve its purpose for some and remains lost for the others.
Oh, and about the Virtual thing (by the way, 'technically' it IS virtual, i mean that map thing... but i'm guessing you mean virtual as in inside a computer), it was an idea me and a few buddies of mine had, i think someone even spoke about it to the Director. If nothing else, at least a kiosk (combined or separate ones for the Govt Museum & Art Gallery and the City Museum) which visitors can use to get info and decide how they can gain more from their visit or leave without even stepping in. But the suggestion was put "temporary-on-hold" (i think everyone knows what that means) due to paucity of funds.
And i would like to reiterate that i did not take anything as an insult. In fact, i actually happen to be one of the few residents who acknowledge both the good as well as the not-so-good about the City Beautiful :)))
As a trainee in this city giving an opinion on something that may have appealed to fellow trainees - I stand by my original post and declaration. Do not visit the city museum it is mind-numbing!
WELL DONE JEAN, YOU SHOULD WORK ME, IN MY TRAVEL MAGAZINE AND WRITE ABOUT WHAT IS INTERESTING AND WHAT IS NOT IN THE WORLD...
BY THE WAY...WHY THIS CITY IS CALLED "CITY BEAUTIFUL"...HMMMM...JEAN EXPLAIN ME THAT PLEASE.
Hey... you have all rights to hold your own opinion, noone's stopping you from that !
And go ahead Jean...asnwer Nacho's question...
now i wanna see what criticism you can come up with :)
Oh, by the way Nacho, in case your question was not sarcastical, do a quick comparison of Chandigarh with other cities in India and you'll have the answer. :))
Well, Nacho that is a very interesting story that has a XXX origin as a matter of fact, so no I didn’t learn about it from the wonderful city museum – they are too busy displaying the minutes of meetings, but I’ll tell you later because I don’t want access to this blog also blocked…you won’t believe the stuff that happened to earn this city that name…cachay?
I don't want people to think i'm being sarcastical with this comment...
but compared to say the temples of Rishikesh or the forts of Jaipur, Chandigarh's architecture wins hands down.
Chandigarh truely is the City Beautiful.
You know, Ryan, those 3 story cement buildings, and the cement jungle that is sector 17, are about as attractive as you get. Kinda like Margaret Thatcher....
Ah Kent, I do love your comparisons – so poetic and perfectly apt!
Thanks Jean...that one was for you.
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