BMC to go ahead with planning of textile museum to celebrate mill legacy

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to celebrate Mumbai city’s mill legacy will be going ahead with planning of a textile museum at Kalachowkie. The plan includes a live, functioning mini textile mill, a representation of the past chawl life and a museum for which they have appointed JJ School of Arts to prepare a vision document for the museum.

Ajoy Mehta, municipal commissioner said that he wants the planning committee is to make the museum interactive for public, accessible which is enjoyed by all the citizens of the city.

State government just before the civic election approved the BMCs plan to retain the land under the heritage structures for the textile museum as part of the recreation ground of the civic body.

The museum will come up in India United Mills that is spread over an area of 10 acres. India United Mills 2 and 3 have the tag of a heritage precinct, the area has three ring and spinning structures, a chimney, a semi-automatic loom and a pond. 7

All the individual structures in the compound have varying heritage status. All the heritage structures will be restored to its past glory. The committee has been also asked to restore the water body in the compound. A separate exhibition area will be also carved out.

Restoration work of some of the structures in the mill has already begun. The museum will also have a dedicated space for new graduate students to showcase their arts at nominal rate.

The space will allocated to new graduates, from painters to sculptors, who will rent the space for six months to one year, showcase their art and also sell it. After a year their place will be taken by new graduates.