The Nehru Museum was designed as a personalia museum to present the life and work of Jawaharlal Nehru through the visual media in the context of the struggle for India’s independence. The Museum thus portrays Nehru’s ideas and life as well as different facets of the Indian freedom movement. Being a personalia Museum, parts of Teen Murti House – the reception room, bed room, drawing room and study – have been preserved as they were during the lifetime of Jawaharlal Nehru. Nehru’s reconstructed South Block office of the External Affairs Ministry is located in the ground floor itself.
The Museum ingeniously displays a series of inter-linked exhibitions depicting the different phases of colonial history as well as the epic story of our struggle for freedom through contemporary photographs, photocopies of manuscripts, letters, newspapers, periodicals and other documentary materials. Our exhibitions provide visitors with minute glimpses of India’s colonial and post-colonial history covering nearly one and a half century. Some of the significant events displayed in our exhibitions are: India’s Response to the West, Revolt of 1857, Genesis of the Indian National Congress, Home Rule Movement, Emergence of Gandhi, Non-cooperation Movement, Civil Disobedience Movement, Demand for Pakistan, Cripps Mission, ‘Quit India’ Movement, Formation of Indian National Army, Cabinet Mission, events leading to the independence and division of India in 1947 and later the process of framing of the Constitution of India.
The details of modern and contemporary Indian history are displayed in such a manner that walking through the galleries takes the visitors through the various phases of our freedom struggle. The depiction of the history of the anti-colonial movement up to 1947 is brought to a culmination by a new display in the Nehru Museum which recreates the Central Hall of Parliament as on the midnight of 14-15 August 1947 portraying an animated figure of Jawaharlal Nehru delivering the ‘Tryst with Destiny’ speech’. This new created Central Hall is, indeed, a display of great popular appeal. The attractive gifts gallery displays some of the beautiful gifts received by Nehru during his travels in India and abroad.
Since the inception of the Museum, millions of visitors – hailing from different walks of life and drawn from different parts of India and abroad – have passed through its legend-filled rooms, corridors and lawns. The Museum continues to maintain its popularity by attracting a large number of people even after four decades of Nehru’s death. More than three thousand visitors throng these galleries everyday to experience the period of our freedom struggle and the making of a resurgent India. The Nehru Museum remains open from 9.00 am to 5.30 pm on all days, except Mondays. Guides are available for conducting visitors in groups free of cost. The Museum Sales Counter sells books, photographs and cassettes of the selected speeches of Nehru. The Museum thus showcases everything that formed an integral part of Nehru’s life. It also depicts the great diversity of our people and culture as well as the underlying unity. It possesses rare artifacts and has preserved and displayed rare pages from important manuscripts. The Museum also organizes regular exhibitions and conferences related to the freedom struggle.
