With piles of books scattered everywhere, the large office of art historian Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and honorary director of Mumbai’s Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, looks eloquently cluttered. Located at the entrance of the Museum, the office has large vinyl boards of its expansion plans resting on one of its walls. At the opposite end, there is a large table that displays some memorabilia, thick copies of annual reports and a few programme catalogues, among other things.

Over the last few years, Bhau Daji Lad, the oldest museum in Mumbai, has been constantly reinventing itself, blurring the lines between old and new, acknowledging and embracing various new forms of art. While the first half of the year saw the Museum get high praise for its various successes, it also had its share of controversy, as politicians threatened to oust Mehta and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation put her on six months’ notice. Mehta was not fazed. Soon after, Mukesh Ambani came to the Museum’s rescue by announcing a grant of Rs 1.8 crore.

Read more: https://openthemagazine.com/art-culture/tasneem-zakaria-mehta-the-revivalist/