2,000 everyday artefacts, rare textiles go on display at Humayun Tomb

Over 2,000 everyday artefacts and nearly 500 textiles, including sarees, shawls, and prayer clothing, went on display on August 1 at the new Sanskriti Museum of Indian Textiles and Everyday Art in the Humayun Tomb Museum complex.

The collection, originally housed at Sanskriti Kendra in Anandgram, was built by OP Jain, a 97-year-old Delhi-based paper merchant, and donated to IGNCA in 2023.

The museum is a collaboration between Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC), which preserved and made items display-ready.

Displayed items include toys, pots, jewelry, lamps, kitchen accessories, hookahs, chillums, and farming implements made from brass, coconut shell, copper, silver, ceramic, and leather, all from the everyday lives of common people.

Notable exhibits include a child's walker resembling a chariot with three wheels, a balancing toy from Rajasthan with musicians and a sitar player, and kitchen rolling sticks with bells on ends, reflecting artistry and daily life practices.