National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi

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For other uses, see National Museum of Natural History (disambiguation).

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The National Museum of Natural History or NMNH in New Delhi is one of two museums focusing on nature in India. Established in 1972, the museum functions under the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India.[1]

Mission

The NMNH's mission is to promote environmental education, both at NMNH in the capital and at Regional Museums of National History in other parts of the country; to provide resources such as school loan kits for schools to use in their curricula on environmental education; to coordinate natural history projects with other agencies and organizations, both nationally and internationally; and to conduct natural history research.[2] The NMNH's director, B. Venugopal, also emphasizes "intangible natural heritage" (a concept innovated by UNESCO) at the museum.[3]

History

The NMNH was created in 1972 as part of the celebration of the 25th year of India's independence. Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, said that India needed such a museum "to promote environmental awareness".[1][4] After several years of development of its building and exhibits, the NMNH opened in 1978, on World Environment Day (5 June).[4]

Exhibits

File:Peacock-naional M.jpg
A taxidermied peacock on display, representing animals of India

Exhibits at the NMNH focus on India's plants, animals and mineral wealth, and are divided into four main exhibit galleries: "Cell: The Basic Unit of Life", "Conservation", "Introduction to Natural History", and "Nature's Network: Ecology". Some exhibits include film screenings. The museum also features a Discovery Room and Activity Room, specifically designed for children, where designated specimens can be handled by visitors. Guided tours, and specially-designed resources for disabled visitors, are also available.[5] Specific exhibits include a sauropod fossil; "a collection of bird eggs including those of the ostrich and the long-billed vulture[; ... and] stuffed animals including various big cats".

[6] Plans for future exhibits, as of 2015, include "climate change, global warming, combating desertification, tsunami, [and] depletion of [the] ozone layer" as well as "more digital displays [... a]nd an IMAX theatre."[6] The museum is also acquiring dinosaur egg fossils from Narmada Valley, Gujarat.[7]

Location

The NMNH is situated on Barakhamba Road at Tansen Marg in Central New Delhi,[4] across from the Embassy of Nepal, and nearby the Connaught Place metro station.[5] As of 2015, however, there are plans to relocate the museum to a 2.5-billion-rupee green-certified building at Bhairon Marg,[4] where "The zoological park is close by, [and] so are the National Crafts Museum, Purana Qila and National Science Centre."[6]

Regional Museums of National History are located in Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Gangtok, Mysore, and Sawai Madhopur.[3]

References

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  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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See also

External links

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