Changing the fuddy-duddy image of the architecturally splendid Mumbai museum has been an ongoing task that the director of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghralaya (CSMVS, but still known as the Prince of Wales Museum), has undertaken since 2002.

However, project Museum Modernisation now stands at a crucial point with several ventures on hand, government and private grants coming through and an enthusiastic staff joining forces with experts.

“Using multimedia to communicate with younger patrons about their cultural heritage is very important, which is why the museum has taken up a high-tech multi-media show, Bombay to Mumbai, 500 years in the history of Mumbai,” says Sabyasachi Mukherjee, the Museum’s director.

Another reason to celebrate is a big tie-up with the Victoria & Albert Museum, London’s royal museum, that will bring a show of etchings, watercolours and prints belonging to the 18th and 19th century colonial India. “This is the first time the V&A will bring a show to India. With assistance from the Ministry of Culture, this dream has become a reality,” says Mukherjee.

“The museum is also opening a new gallery dedicated to Krishna miniatures and we plan to display them in a dynamic manner,” says Vandana Prapanna, curator of miniatures and numismatics. Currently, the display is rather flat and more appealing to experts than the layman. “We will enhance the miniature sections, with audio-visuals on miniatures, live demos, and display cases that show objects related to that period,” adds Prapanna.

The conservation lab currently has two paintings from the Raj Bhavan and a portrait of David Sassoon on their operating table. “Ultra-violet fluorescent light, X-rays and micro chemical analysis help us restore these paintings thoroughly,” says Anupam Sah, chief conservator of the Museum Conservation Institute. Following the credo of do as much as necessary and as little as possible, Sah and his team take around 42 days to restore a work, gently scraping the wax and resin from behind the canvas; an old restoration method that actually did more harm than good, and removing the over-layered paint and dust.

The exterior of the museum itself has been restored under the guidance of conservationist Abha Narain Lambah. “We’ve removed the hard cement pointing that was laid in the ‘60s and ‘70s creating leakages. We’ve also cleaned up the dome and water-proofed the terrace,” says Narain Lambah. “The Museum will now be one of the premium institutes of art and restoration.”