Saving Bombay's legacy

On September 5th 1855, Lord Elphinstone, governor of Bombay, appointed a committee to establish a museum of economic products that would showcase "the raw products of Western India and the methods of converting them into manufactured articles and to gather together a collection of natural history specimens."
Further, craftsmanship and aesthetics were to be employed to scientifically document every aspect of commercial and community life.
By 2003, neglect had left both the ornamental building and its unique collection  derelict. After intensive restoration ending in 2008, this beautiful Palladian structure... housing the oldest museum in Mumbai... stands today as a permanent memorial to India's remarkable artisans and their crafts.
In 2005, a UNESCO award recognized the unique private and public partnership that both funded the restoration of the building and the exhibits, and also provides ongoing support to the museum.
Built in the great tradition of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and in fact originally named after this institution, the reborn Bhau Daji Lad Museum showcases its own high Victorian craftsmanship and fabulous collection and is also now a partner of the V&A.