Museum of Untouchability

The practice of untouchability and the heinous crimes that are committed in the form of brute killings, rapes, and public beatings are still in practice. How about a space that depicts all of this?

- Y. S. Alone

MUSEUMS in India are also known as Ajaib Ghar-the house of the strange. The same term exists in many Indian languages. In Marathi, it is called Ajab Bangla. The collection of objects and antiquities started getting showcased under one roof, and that's how museums in India were born.

The princely states, being the seat of power in their respective regions, also had their treasure houses that were open to public viewing. The colonial administration started showcasing collections of antiquities, materials unearthed from archaeological excavations, stuffed animals, birds, and lives of various communities in the form of small sculptural models. Interestingly, the French occupation in Karnataka coast produced a picture album of various castes and communities as part of a picture manual for the French administrator in their territories. Thus, it became a picture resource for the people of India.

The likes of Herbert Hope Risley studied different tribes in India and produced a photographic documentation. As far as community or peoples' museum is concerned, there are many museums showcasing the lives and culture of Adivasi communities which the urban population often deems as backward and undeveloped. In post-Independent India, many museums emerged as part of government initiatives, and nowadays, private museums have also come up. Military history in museums in India carries the narratives of the dominant communities whose names still exist on the regiments.

There is a general perception that only the past is museumised and not the present practices. These strange ideas and attitudes take away focus from many problematic social issues in our society. It is ironic that even after India became a republic, the Indian public at large gets politicised only in terms of casting votes. This hardly helps our society emerge as a just society representing modern democracy.

How About a Museum of Untouchability?