Breaking the Museum Mould

NOT A CONVENTIONAL MUSEUM, SARMAYA BRIDGES THE PAST AND PRESENT THROUGH ITS DIGITALLY-DRIVEN APPROACH

-  MALLIKA DALAL

What does it mean for a museum to be modern? Just take a look at Sarmaya — a digital museum with a physical collection that represents the diverse histories and artistic traditions of India. At its heart, it is a carefully curated repository of art, artefacts and living traditions from the larger Indian subcontinent along with Paul Abraham and his late wife Tina’s private collection of historical Indian art and artefacts. Set up as an online museum in 2015, Sarmaya, which is an Urdu word that means ‘a collective or shared wealth’, seeks to do just that. A lovingly nurtured idea, today, it is led by Paul and Pavitra Rajaram, his partner in life and many creative pursuits. We have loved and traced her journey as she relentlessly uncovers and shares India’s artistic and cultural heritage, as the Creative Director of Pavitra Rajaram Design, and as the brand custodian of Sarmaya.