The National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, popularly known as Crafts Museum, was established in 1956 by the freedom fighter Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. The museum is situated in Pragati Maidan, opposite the Purana Qila, inside a beautiful complex that was designed by renowned architect Charles Correa. This museum is known for housing traditional handicrafts and handlooms, collected from different states of India. The museum's Bhuta Sculpture Gallery contains sculptures of wood by communities from Coastal Karnataka, while the Courtly Craft Gallery has objects of wood especially made for nobility and used for decorative purpose. Another three galleries have a varied collection of paintings, sculptures and textiles.
Since time immemorial, wood has been a diverse medium—used in a variety of ways by the people of India, The tradition of wood carving has existed in India for thousands of years. A number of folk forms in woodwork have developed all over the country, with skills and techniques differing from place to place.
In this heritage walk, we will learn about the unique techniques used by local craftsmen and the products they create. The walk will also focus on the local demands of their products, with hands-on experiences and live interactions with the craftsmen present in the museum. As part of this museum walk, children, based on their age group, shall either interact with wooden exhibits to understand their special features (9–12 years) or sketch their favourite wooden object in the museum (13–18 years).
