National Institute of Design to develop multimedia museum on Swami Vivekananda's life

AHMEDABAD: The life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda will soon be displayed in a cultural museum in Rajasthan by Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design (NID). As part of 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda, NID will help the Ramakrishna Mission at Khetri develop a multimedia-based museum highlighting his life and time.

Khetri is a township situated in Shekhawati region of Rajasthan. Swami Vivekananda stayed here thrice during his life time, which is unusual for a wandering monk.

"We have just begun work on the exhibition and it is most likely to open in November 2013," said Tanishka Kachru, faculty of exhibition design at NID. The institute will conceptualize the museum, design the exhibits, the text, images and introduce interactive models for visitors. Period settings will take visitors through each step of Vivekananda's life starting with how Narendra became Swami Vivekananda, the period showing Shri Ramakrishna welcoming Narendra with his friend, the wandering monk in Khetri, the 'Parliament of the World Religion' in Chicago - animatronics of Vivekananda addressing the audience, Vivekananda addressing his American admirers at the Thousand Island Park, Swamiji's meeting with hand-picked disciples in London, among other things.


 The palace belonged to Maharaja Ajit Singh Bahadur, who was the ruler of Khetri between 1870-1901. Ajit Singh is known for the monetary support he provided to Vivekananda, and encouraging him to speak at the Parliament of the World's Religions at Chicago in 1893. It was on Ajit Singh's request that Swamiji assumed his monastic name Vivekananda before he went to America.


 "Swami Vivekananda and Ajit Singh shared a special relationship. Ajit Singh had become a close friend and disciple of Vivekananda. It will be interesting to tell their story in a creative way through the museum," Kachru added.


 According to Kachru, NID will use less text and more interactive media as "people do not read much when they visit museums these days."
Source:TOI