Chithra Kallur, Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore: Coorg, the Scotland of India

Chithra Kallur, Head Archivist, Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore, India

I am Chithra, Head Archivist at the Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore and I feel honoured to  participate in the ITP 2017.

This is my second visit to London – but a very special one! It is special because, through this programme I am able meet interesting and enthusiastic museum professionals from different parts of the world. Conversing with the fellow participants who all specialise in diverse fields and work for various kinds of organizations has been the best part of the programme. We are grouped (as department fellows, flat-mates and project partners) and regrouped for lots of activities which have been so exciting allowing us to get to know each other more. I am getting to know more about the work, food and living back in their countries. The two hours lunch break one of the fellows gets at her museum is something worth trying back home!

Getting training and orientation on various aspects of museums gets more interesting as the days go on. Listening to the experiences of the senior staff from the British Museum and getting hands-on experience in object handling, conducting gallery surveys and storage reviews has been so enriching. Trying out 3D scanning has been one of the highlights.

A big thanks to Claire, Becca, Hayk and John for planning the programme so wonderfully and making us enjoy every moment of it. A special thanks to everyone from the Department of Asia for accommodating such a big group of us.

I wrote this note from Glasgow where I spent my UK Partner placement time. I had a great time with Fadzai (Zimbabwe), Li Li (China) and Thi Thi (Myanmar). Thanks to Pat (Curator at Glasgow Museums) and her colleagues. Being a native of Coorg (South of India) which was called by the British the ‘Scotland of India’ I discovered this Scotland with a sense of nostalgia.