Gateway Tibetan Art Exhibit and Solar Panel Installation

Temperatures were running high on one Wednesday afternoon at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, and this time, it wasn’t because of the sweltering Mumbai summer. It was the collective excitement of inaugurating South Mumbai’s largest rooftop solar power plant at the gloriously beautiful museum! The panels are a sight to behold, juxtaposed against the rustic exterior of the museum and the backdrop of vast open skies and great Mumbai. Whilst this is aesthetically pleasing, it was the inner beauty of these panels that was rather more impressive and the major talking point for the day.

“As most of you know we started this project with the museum, two years ago, under the leadership of Madhusudan Daga and Ramesh Narayan with the idea of creating something that was going to be lasting and measurable and actually have a long term impact on the environment. Our second goal was really to partner with one of our city’s institutions, with which we could develop a long term relationship. I think both of Page 2: Guess the Rotarian!!! Page 6: Brief Report on the IWA Clinic Page 7: Asiatic Society report those goals have really come together wonderfully in the solar panel project,” Dr Sonya Mehta, President, Rotary Club of Bombay recounted.

This, as you may know, is Phase II of the project. Today we will be launching 20 kilowatts of solar energy being fed into the grid, which actually will conserve 35,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions, saving the museum nearly 6 lakhs annually in terms of their spend on electricity. It will also prevent the burning of nearly 30,000 kilograms of coal every year. So, I think that on both fronts, in terms of environment and ecology, as well as in terms of helping out a city institution with their financial planning, this has been a win-win for all of us,” she added. A project of this scale requires the united efforts of dedicated individuals across different disciplines, merging seamlessly to create the intended outcome.

“We must acknowledge the leadership and hard work of Jagdish Malkani, for really sticking to this and pushing and getting this done, as well as our partners and suppliers, Belifal, who have been working very hard to get this project going,” Dr Mehta stated while inviting Jagdish Malkani to the podium. Jagdish Malkani elaborated upon the fascinating way in which these projects are brought to life. He had previously been involved in Talwada, where stored solar power was introduced to the hospital, the eye center and in the ashramshala where the kids sat under street lamps to read. In the case of the museum, a tie up with the BEST grid is necessary. There is one gizmo that does all the hard work converting the solar, which is instantly going into a grid, which is great because this means no leakage! The museum consumes around 1,000 units daily.

With the introduction of the panels, 14-15% is being taken care of. This is against an expenditure of about 31 lakhs which has been spent, including five years AMC for the second project. It’s yet another feather in the cap of Mr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, who has really done a tremendous job with transforming the museum. Since his tenure in 2007, footfall has increased to 2,500 visitors, with the number doubling on weekends. During special exhibitions, the number can go up to 60,000 over the duration of the event! Jagdish Malkani recognized unstinted cooperation of Mr. Mukherjee, the Director General of the museum. “He’s an eco-warrior because they started rainwater harvesting much before anyone else. It’s a little known fact that they get virtually no government financial support.

All of this is self-sustained from donations, from whatever they raise and now more corporates are going to work with them. Thanks to him, his board of trustees and his able admin team.” These feelings of gratitude were reciprocated wholeheartedly by Mr. Mukherjee who facilitated Dr Mehta and Jagdish Malkani with floral bouquets. As a custodian of heritage, property and culture, and someone wanting to preserve that well into the future, Mr. Mukherjee is a walking talking embodiment of how to cherish the past whilst embracing the future. As he was preparing his address, he debated upon the topic of his speech. Should he talk about the environment?

“I realized everyone knows the importance of environment, of climate changes. What’s important is to preserve both, the cultural and natural heritage.” “We are passing through very difficult times all around the world. I got an opportunity to attend the US Embassy President’s Global Colloquial at Yale University, supported by the UN Secretary General. The gathering was welcomed by the Director General of UNESCO. She said: ‘I got an opportunity to interact with the new Iraqi Prime Minister. I simply asked him, why is so much happening in your country? Why are young people joining extremists groups?’

For a moment he was silent and then he looked at her and said: ‘There’s something terribly wrong going on with our education system. You know, for a long time, history was not incorporated in our education system. The emphasis was on science, technology and management. Now we are going to incorporate history into our school level and higher level education.’ Rightly so, an unbiased, view of the world, is one that unreservedly encompasses culture. It is this culture that helps us carve our identity. When it comes to making decisions about the negative impacts of globalization, technology and power politics, it is this identity that we draw upon; just as it was drawn upon before making the decision to go ahead with the solar panel installation. How can we preserve this delicate understanding of diversity and culture? “50 years ago India used to speak 720 languages, in 50 years we lost 220 languages and we’ll be losing another 50 languages in the next 50 years,” laments Mr. Mukherjee.

The impact of globalization extends much beyond linguistic diversity; it also has impact on our lifestyle, architectural design and urban design. Can this be stopped? Perhaps that is the wrong question to ask. Yes, these lost cultures are a matter of concern. But the real question is: are we preserving them? Are we serious about the linguistic diversity? When we support our cultural institutes, we are by default extending our support towards cultural values and morals. In a world that is increasingly connected, these same institutions play their roles on international levels and are increasingly being used in International Relations.

“I appreciate your initiative. I’ve been thinking for a long time how do we switch over to the concept of a green museum. All of you, my friends, came together and only proved the fact that: alone we can do very little; together we can do many things. This is just the beginning. We are the second museum to have switched over to solar energy.” Thank you Mr. Mukherjee! The journey was an interesting one, and by no means is it over!