The Prime Ministers' Museum and Library Society previously known as the Nehru Museum and Library Society is a museum and library in
New Delhi
New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, which aims to preserve and reconstruct the history of the
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events in South Asia with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British colonial rule. It lasted until 1947, when the Indian Independence Act 1947 was passed.
The first nationalistic ...
. Housed within the
Teen Murti House complex, it is an autonomous institution under the Indian
Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to:
* Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)
* Ministry of Culture (Algeria)
* Ministry of Culture (Argentina)
* Minister for the Arts (Australia)
* Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...
, and was founded in 1964 after the death of India's first prime minister,
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...
. It aims to foster academic research on modern and contemporary history. Today, the Nehru Memorial Library is the world's leading resource centre on India's first prime minister.
[ Its archives contain the bulk of ]Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...
's writings, as well as private papers of Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, C. Rajagopalachari
Chakravarti Rajagopalachari (10 December 1878 – 25 December 1972), popularly known as Rajaji or C.R., also known as Mootharignar Rajaji (Rajaji'', the Scholar Emeritus''), was an Indian statesman, writer, lawyer, and Indian independence ...
, B. C. Roy, Jayaprakash Narayan
Jayaprakash Narayan Srivastava (; 11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), also known as JP and ''Lok Nayak'' (Hindi for "People's leader"), was an Indian politician, theorist and Indian independence activist, independence activist. He is mai ...
, Charan Singh
Chaudhary Charan Singh (23 December 1902 – 29 May 1987) was an Indian politician, peasant leader, author and an independence activist who briefly served as the prime minister of India from July 1979 to January 1980. Singh was principally kn ...
, Sarojini Naidu
Sarojini Naidu (Birth name, née Chattopadhyay) (; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist and poet who served as the first Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Governor of United Provinces, after Independence Day (India), Indi ...
and Rajkumari Amrit Kaur. In March 2010, it launched a digitization project of its archives, and by June 2011, 867,000 pages of manuscripts and 29,807 photographs had been scanned and 500,000 pages had been uploaded on the digital library website.[ Amongst noted publications of the NMML are ''Selected Works of Jawaharlal Nehru'', ''Man of Destiny'' by ]Ruskin Bond
Ruskin Bond (born 19 May 1934) is an Indian author. His first novel, ''The Room on the Roof'', published in 1956, received the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize. Bond has authored more than 500 short stories, essays, and novels which includes 69 books ...
, and ''Nehru Anthology ''(1980).
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library has over the years, supported scholars and historians across India. Through its fellowship programme, the Nehru Memorial Fellowship, it has funded some of India's best academics, such as Chief Information Commissioner OP Kejriwal. It is also one of the best libraries in Delhi for the social sciences
Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...
as it has a huge collection on labour related issues in the form of PhD dissertations, reports, books, journals and newspapers.
On 26 April 2016, a dagger gifted to former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...
by Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...
was stolen from the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.
Overview
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is known as Teen Murti Bhawan (sculptor: Leonard Jennings of Britain), after the three statues established in 1922 in honor of the three Indian princely states Jodhpur
Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...
, Hyderabad
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
and Mysore
Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...
after their contribution in World War I by serving in the present day Gaza Strip, Israel, and Palestine. It was designed by Robert Tor Russell who also designed Connaught Place and a few parts of Janpath. Spread over 30 acres, its construction started in 1929 and took around one year to completion. It is a masterpiece of British and French architecture and woodwork. Initially known as Flagstaff House, it was used by British forces as the residence of the Commander-in-Chief. After Independence, the house was taken over as the residence of Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...
(1889–1964), first Prime Minister of India. After his death in 1964, it was decided that Teen Murti Bhawan should be converted into a museum and a library which would promote original research in modern Indian history with special reference to the Nehruvian era. It was inaugurated on his birth anniversary, 14 November that year, by then President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (; 5 September 188817 April 1975; natively Radhakrishna) was an Indian academician, philosopher and statesman who served as the President of India from 1962 to 1967. He previously served as the vice president of ...
.
Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society was formed on 1 April 1966. Initially, the museum was set up in the eastern wing and the library in the western wing of the sprawling building, with Bal Ram Nanda as its founder-director, who also curated the museum and library for next 17 years. He received the Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan ( , lit. "Lotus Grandeur") is the second-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "exceptional and distinguished service". All persons w ...
in 2003.[BALRAM NANDA (1917-2010)]
Raj Bhavan (Sikkim), 1 June 2010
With the passage of time and the rapid growth of research material in the library, more space was required and an exclusive library building was constructed. It was formally inaugurated by President V. V. Giri
Varahagiri Venkata Giri (; 10 August 1894 – 24 June 1980), better known as V. V. Giri was an Indian statesman and activist who served as the president of India from 24 August 1969 to 24 August 1974. He also served as the vice president of ...
in January 1974. However, the steady increase in the volume of material required for research further necessitated the construction of an annex building which was completed in 1989. The Centre for Contemporary Studies was set up in this building as a new unit in 1990.
To commemorate the Foundation Day of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, it organises an annual lecture on 1 April, called the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Foundation Day Lecture. Nehru Planetarium
Nehru Planetariums are the five planetariums in India, named after India's first Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. These are located in Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru, plus there is a Jawahar Planetarium in Prayagr ...
is also part of NMML. Much work is also happening in the field of connecting people with this place with special reference to children, who are considered to be closest to Jawaharlal Nehru's heart, earning the popular name 'Chacha Nehru'. The library also has an archive of the private correspondence between Nehru and Edwina Mountbatten
Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma (' Ashley; 28 November 1901 – 21 February 1960), was an English heiress, socialite, relief worker and the last vicereine of India as the wife of (the then) Rear Admiral The 1st ...
, wife of Lord Mountbatten
Admiral of the Fleet (Royal Navy), Admiral of the Fleet Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (born Prince Louis of Battenberg; 25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979), commonly known as Lord Mountbatten, was ...
, but with limited access.[
The Centre for Contemporary Studies was set up as an advanced studies unit of NMML in 1990 and is housed in the Annexe building. NMML took over the charge of the ]Nehru Planetarium
Nehru Planetariums are the five planetariums in India, named after India's first Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. These are located in Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru, plus there is a Jawahar Planetarium in Prayagr ...
from the Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund in 2005.
From April 2015 to March 2016, the Museum received nearly 1.7 million visitors.
Nehru Memorial digital library
The collection of manuscripts, historical documents and other archival materials of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library were made available online, after the digitisation project, with the help of HCL Infosystems started in 2010. By May 2011, employing the Rs union Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to:
* Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania)
* Ministry of Culture (Algeria)
* Ministry of Culture (Argentina)
* Minister for the Arts (Australia)
* Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...
funding of Rs. 10 crore, the project had digitized 50 collections of manuscripts, 834 interview transcripts, 29,802 photographs, over one lakh images of the newspaper ''Amrita Bazar Patrika
''Amrita Bazar Patrika'' was one of the oldest daily newspapers in India. Originally published in Bengali script, it evolved into an English format published from Kolkata and other locations such as Cuttack, Ranchi and Allahabad. The paper ...
'' (1905–1938). In all, the digitization will cover nine million documents and was to be completed by 2015.
Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya
The Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society is now invigorated with the opening of the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya in April 2022. The Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya is intended to be a tribute to every prime minister of the Republic of India since Independence and a narrative record of how each one has contributed to the development of our nation over the last 75 years. It aims to create a history of collective effort and powerful evidence of the creative success of India's democracy. It aims to show that Indian prime ministers came from every class and tier of society, for the gates of democracy were equally open to all. Each one left an important footprint on the journey of development, social harmony, and economic empowerment that has enabled India to give true meaning to freedom. India is shown to have inherited an impoverished land from the debris of British colonialism and together gave it a new life, lifting our country from famished deprivation to food surplus status and creating infrastructure over barren territory for the benefit of the people. The Teen Murti Estate, home to the first prime minister of the Republic of India, Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru (14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a pr ...
, for 16 years, was the natural environment for Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya because this is a story of continuity. The Sangrahalaya aims to seamlessly blend that begins at the renovated and refurbished Nehru Museum building, now completely updated with technologically advanced displays on the life and contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru. The new panorama includes a section that exhibits a large number of rare gifts received by him from all over the world but never put on display. These can be viewed in the old block of Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya in the exhibit called 'Toshakhana
The was originally a Mughal Empire, Mughal place where princes store "gifts and emblems of honor that they received for their posterity ... an archive of objects whose origin and receipt embodied his status and honor" The term is of Persian la ...
'.
The saga of modern India starts with the freedom struggle and the making of a great Constitution. The Sangrahalaya goes on to tell the story of how our Prime Ministers navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured the all-round progress of the country. Within this story is a message for the younger generation: there are greater horizons to conquer as we transform India into a New India.
However, the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya is not without controversy. It was commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...
, and the team behind its curation, including M.J. Akbar, Swapan Dasgupta
Swapan Dasgupta (born 3 October 1955) is an Indian journalist and politician. He is influential within the Indian right wing, writing columns for leading English dailies espousing Hindu nationalism. He was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha. ...
and A. Surya Prakash, are mostly drawn from Modi's own BJP, which has led to accusations of partisanship in its curation.
Controversy
In 2009, several well-known academics, such as Ramachandra Guha
Ramachandra "Ram" Guha (born 29 April 1958) is an Indian historian, environmentalist, writer and public intellectual whose research interests include social, political, contemporary, environmental and cricket history. He is an important autho ...
, Sumit Sarkar
Sumit Sarkar (born 1939) is one of the foremost historians of modern India. He is a Marxist historian. He is the author of ''Swadeshi Movement'' ''in Bengal, 1903-1908'' (1973), ''Modern India'' (1989), and ''Writing Social History'' (1998), a ...
, Nivedita Menon, Nayanjot Lahiri
Nayanjot Lahiri (1960–) is a renowned historian and archaeologist of ancient India
Anatomically modern humans first arrived on the Indian subcontinent between 73,000 and 55,000 years ago. The earliest known human remains in South Asia ...
, Mushirul Hasan, Mukul Kesavan, Mahesh Rangarajan, and Krishna Kumar, alleged that the institution was being run in an inefficient and corrupt fashion. They pointed out that PMMML had discontinued its publication programme and that the acquisition of manuscripts and oral histories had all but come to a halt. In turn, writer and activist Madhu Kishwar
Madhu Purnima Kishwar is an Indian academic and a Hindutva commentator. , environmentalist Pradip Krishen
Pradip Krishen (born 1949) is an Indian filmmaker, naturalist and environmentalist. He directed three films, '' Massey Sahib'' in 1985, '' In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones'' in 1989 and '' Electric Moon'' for Channel 4, UK in 1991. His films ...
, and historians Irfan Habib
Irfan Habib (born 10 August 1931) is an Indian historian of ancient and medieval India, following the methodology of Marxist historiography in his contributions to economic history. He is known for his strong stance against Hindutva. He has au ...
and D. N. Jha came out in support of PMMML and its director, Mridula Mukherjee
Mridula Mukherjee (née Mahajan) is an Indian historian known for her work on the role of peasants in the Indian independence movement. She is an ex-chairperson of the Centre for Historical Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, a ...
.
In 2023, the renaming of the library and museum invited a lot of criticism from various angles.
References
External links
Nehru Memorial Museum & Library
*https://www.pmsangrahalaya.gov.in/
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nehru Memorial Museum and Library
Buildings and structures in New Delhi
Museums in Delhi
Libraries in Delhi
Indian digital libraries
Academic libraries in India
1964 establishments in Delhi
Archives in India
Biographical museums in India
Monuments and memorials to Jawaharlal Nehru
Library buildings completed in 1989
Libraries established in 1964
20th-century architecture in India