Nehru Museum to the independence era

The Express Group

Quest is a project conducted by The Indian Express in schools in and around Delhi. It covers more than 50 schools in Delhi and NCR.

Quest aims at stirring awareness and opinions. Today,when all that children see are shopping malls and cineplexes,we at The Indian Express want to show a completely different picture of this city to them. Delhi has changed beyond nostalgia and recognition since Independence. How many of these kids know of the ‘Seven Cities’ of Delhi or the stories of the pigeon fliers of Old Delhi?

The idea behind such an activity is to create awareness about the various structures and monuments that the students do not know about. This is a specially designed programme,which will help the students appreciate the rich culture and background of this city. In association with INTACH and ASI,this is a small effort on our behalf to depict a phase of our national life and the decay of a whole culture,a particular mode of thought and living. The visit is followed by the students sending in articles,pictures,poems,paintings,and collages to express their experiences about the heritage walk.

We invite schools to be a part of this Express Group initiative. For queries mail to heritagewalks@expressindia.com

Nehru Museum and Planetarium
Nehru Museum and Planetarium is situated on Teen Murti Marg in New Delhi. The Teen Murti House was once the official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the British forces,and was later converted into the official residence of the first Prime Minister of India,Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,after Independence. This building served as his official residence for 16 years until his death in 1964. After his death,it was converted into a museum and a library.

The museum has lots of audio-visual aids to depict the life of Nehru. There were several photographs of Nehru and his family,along with the Bharat Ratna medal awarded to him in 1955.

There is also a Gifts Gallery in the museum,where one can see various gifts given to Nehruji during his reign as Prime Minister.

Jawahar Jyoti,another feature at the place,is an eternal flame that keeps burning day and night in memory of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The front lawn of the museum has a huge granite rock inscribed with extracts of the historic speech delivered by Nehruji in the midnight session of the Indian Constituent Assembly. The Nehru library has lots of books on various topics such as religion,culture,sociology,economics,politics and development in India. There is a planetarium where one can see the space programme of India and the universe.
— GEETANJALI SOLANKI,X-D

Revisiting the past
In order to achieve success in life,we need real and practical knowledge. Books give us only theoretical knowledge. Real knowledge lies not in books,but in fields,factories,workshops and nature. A few days ago,we visited the Nehru Museum.

It is also known as the Teen Murti Bhawan. It is the best place to learn about the history of the Independence movement of India. The museum offers photographs of our first Prime Minister,Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the various phases of his life. He lived here for 16 years.

The splendid collection of books in the library is made up of material on religion,culture,sociology and economics. There is a planetarium dedicated to him. The Gifts Gallery exhibits some of the gifts received by Nehruji during his travels in India and overseas,including the Bharat Ratna Medal that was awarded in 1955. Jawahar Jyoti,the eternal flame that is kept burning day and night,indicates the ideals of Nehru. Our visit was a great source of information and knowledge. The museum has left a great impression on my mind.
— MEGHA DUA,X-B

A journey down memory lane
It was very cold and foggy morning when we went to the Nehru Museum on Teen Murti Marg.

It was an educational trip. We saw many photographs of Nehruji from his childhood to his old age. We saw the various rooms he used,like the study,the dining room,Indira’s room and also got the opportunity to listen to his speech after Independence on August 15,1947.

Our guide told us many facts. We saw Teen Murti Bhawan— Nehruji’s office and reception. There was a huge garden,which was full of colourful roses and other flowers.

It was a very informative trip to a beautiful place. We also went to the Nehru Planetarium,where we got to see a show about space.

We enjoyed and gained a lot from this trip.
— MAHIMA DANI,X-D

A trip to the Nehru Museum
I always wanted to visit the Nehru Museum as I wanted to know more about the great leader of our country.

When I heard about the educational trip that we were going to be taken to,I was delighted.

My queries regarding Nehruji and his life were all answered.

In the museum,we saw various gifts given to Nehruji during his tenure as the Prime Minister by other countries.

We also saw Nehruji’s study,his bedroom and Indiraji’s bedroom. It felt as if they were still with us.

When I came to know that our first Pandit Nehru’s last words were,“After my death,my ashes must be spread all over the country”,I had tears in my eyes. It was a very informative and enjoyable trip.
— BINUSHA JOYCELL,X-B

A slice of history
Nehru museum is situated at the Teen Murti Marg in New Delhi. It is a fabulous museum which is full of historical items that enable us to learn more about the past.

When I entered the museum,I saw a beautiful garden full of greenery.

Once we went inside the museum,there was a guide who told us that the Teen Murti House was converted into the official residence of the first Prime Minister of India,Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,after Independence. This building served as his official residence for 16 years till his death in 1964.

We saw the place where Pandit Nehru held meetings with people,his bedroom,dining room and study room. There were many photographs of Pandit Nehru,his mother,his wife Kamla Nehru and his daughter Indira,and his friends.

I clicked many pictures in the museum. There was an assembly room where we heard a very important speech delivered by Nehruji on the eve of Independence that really moved me.
— SHRUTI CHOUDHARY,X- B