Aryaman Kakkar's Archive

Our story begins in the desert. A girl lives there with her father. In a trapezoid tent, broad at the base, converging at the top like a pyramid without the pyramidion, the girl and her father live here. Their beds, their cooking and warming hearth is the heart of this fluttering home subject to the winds. Around their home is the farm where they cultivate the only plant that’ll grow in the sands. They have created their own little oasis with the plants as the roots keep the sands at bay. Their private paradise. This is a plant that seems a hybrid, unearthly - with the prominent leaf at the top resembling a lotus leaf, a bulging, round fruit nestles on it, the leaf curling around the fruit. The fruit seems to glow and pulse a soft sunset gold, and enriches the land. This is no ordinary plant. It is magic, created with a craft that the girl’s mother knew, which the girl tries hard to replicate. Words of power, runes, the alphabets of archons and titans tattoo her arms already - spreadin...

National museums play a crucial role in shaping the narrative of a nation's past and cultural heritage. In postcolonial nation-states like India and Pakistan, newly constituted national museums have become key institutions in constructing and representing the collective memory and identity of the nation and its citizens. This essay aims to explore how national museums in India and Pakistan weave narratives of national pasts as cultural heritage. By examining the historical context, curatorial practices, and exhibition strategies employed by these museums, we can gain insights into the complex processes of constructing and presenting national narratives. 1. Historical Background: The establishment of national museums in India and Pakistan was deeply rooted in the historical context of these nations' postcolonial journey, driven by their aspirations to assert cultural identity, promote national unity, and preserve their rich heritage. The process of decolonization, nation-buildin...