Aga Khan Palace closed for museum revamp till October 1

PUNE: The Aga Khan Palace will be temporarily closed between August 20 to October 1 for renovation of the Mahatma Gandhi museum.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) announced the closure on Monday. The refurbishment of the museum is being planned to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhi.
Gajanan Mandaware, Conservation Assistant at ASI Pune Sub Circle, told TOI that the order was issued as per an ASI head quarter on August 19. “After the refurbishment, the museum will have new look. All the three floors are being renovated and new features are also being added,” he said.
Mandaware said the latest addition on the premises will be an audio-visual feature, where a film on Gandhi’s life will play on loop. “Also, his life events will be printed on khadi cloth and put up in the museum, along with pictures that narrate his life’s story,” he said.
Ganesh Dhotre, manager at Aga Khan Palace, said that the paint has started to chip off at several spots due to the rains. “The paint will be touched up. Along with the old fiber statues, new silicon-based statues will also be put up. The statues will showcase Gandhi’s movements as a freedom fighter like the Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha or Dandi March. Refurbishment of the hall and new light fixtures are also being planned. Other renovation plants will be finalised at an upcoming meeting with ASI officials from Delhi,” he said.
The Aga Khan Palace was built in 1892 by Imam Sultan Aga Khan III. The interiors of the palace display photographs, personal objects, and possessions of Gandhi. The palace had served as a prison for Mahatama Gandhi and Sarojini Naidu during the British rule in 1942-44. It also houses a mausoleum of Mahadeobhai Desai and Kasturba Gandhi.