Venue: Anandagram, Mehrauli Gurgaon Road

Anandgram is one of the first Delhi museums we fell in love with. If you are looking for offbeat things to do in Delhi, this is your spot. Anandgram houses the personal collection of art and craft of O.P. Jain. This hidden gem of Delhi does not disappoint.

Sanskriti Foundation houses a crafts museum, Anandagram on Mehrauli Gurgaon Road, close to Arjangarh Metro Station.

Spread over a sprawling green landscape, the mud coloured buildings evoke an instant awe. The display galleries are towards the left and, within a few minutes, each gallery leaves us spellbound. “Árt in Life” seems to be the driving principle behind collection. To reflect that, the galleries are curated as per terracotta votives, terracotta idols, clay idols, utensils, textiles and other objects used in daily life.

The items displayed here are from the private collection of O.P. Jain who often potters around in the lawns and asks the visitors for feedback and suggestions.

Sanskriti Kendra architecture

The first awe is the landscape design of the whole Sanskriti Kendra. While the museum is a part of the Sanskrit Foundation, they also have, amongst others, artists’ studios, residency arrangements for artists, amphitheatre and a pottery training centre.

 

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The architecture is a motley style combining mud houses, trellis or jharokhas and concrete rooms with exposed brick façade. Gazebos and lily pools punctuate the free lawns.  A big banyan tree at the centre completes the setting.

In fact, it has interesting art work and installations – using folk pieces – strewn all over the ground. Although there are many styles in play here, the whole space has been designed as one whole picture that is very Indian at heart.

What to see at Anandgram – Art in Life

The museum here has three galleries. The terracotta gallery traces back the use of terracotta as a medium in Harappan times. It houses innumerable statues and objects from all over India. Some are displayed in rooms, and then outdoors, in passages and open spaces. We love the podium with the collection of over-sized Aiyanar terracotta horses from Tamil Nadu. Some of these are au naturel and some coloured. This is our favourite photo-spot at Anandgram.

The textiles gallery displays the panorama of surprises by way of handlooms, dyes and embroidery all from remote corners of India. The pieces are mostly vintage and super unique. For instance, if you have seen bandhni elsewhere, the ones here have dancing figures with tie and dye dots and that looks like a dream. The old Bengal kanthas and the phulkaris are such that they are cable of blowing the mind of any artist.

The museum of everyday life has the strongest museum feel. Daily objects, votive items like brass idols, altars, lamps or diyas, kitchen ware, silver and other metal ornaments, fancy nutcrackers so on and so forth are displayed here. Every item is amazement and this is where you realise the import of the expression – Art in Life.

The items seem to have been sourced from various parts of India. Some of the walls were resplendent with folk paintings in Madhubani and Phad styles. The displays were supported with interactive presentations which were visually mesmerising and enhanced with pieces of Indian classical music.

Also Read: Museums of Delhi You Must Visit 

We also had the good opportunity of meeting Mr. O. P. Jain, the founder, and were humbled by his simplicity. He told us that his aim was to develop this place as a resource centre and asked us to provide any feedback that we may have for making the place interactive.

We interacted with a couple of artists – Vicki McConville and Barani who had their quaint studios at Anandagram. They gave us a peak of their works-in-progress and we look forward to seeing their complete works.

Food at Anandgram

There is a cafeteria at Anandgram that simple stuff like beverages, patties and sandwiches, biscuits and packaged cakes. Truth be told, we have seen it open only during festivals.

Anandgram timing

10 A.M to 5 P.M. Closed on Monday and National Holidays. This museum is still closed to the public on account of COVID 19 pandemic.

Anandgram entry fee

Personal collections on display are more often than not heavily ticketed. This came as a surprise to us. For such a fascinating private collection coupled with the effort that was invested in beautifying the space, there is no entry fee for the museums. However, they occasionally hold events and workshops that are chargeable.

Events at Anandgram

Anadgram keeps hosting various art and cultural events like writer’s camps and art residency projects. They also hold block-print and ceramic art workshops. But their most popular event is the Ceramic Fest that is hold in winter every year. Ceramic artists from all over the world bring their work here and it is a mesmerizing experience to see such creativity. Our favourite ceramic spot Andretta also participates in this exhibition.

Other attractions near Anandgram

If you are at Anandgram, then you are very close to the icon of Delhi and DelhiFunDos – the Qutub Minar. In fact, Qutub Minar has been illuminated by the Delhi Tourism and it looks ethereal in the evenings. The Mehrauli Archaeological area is also in the vicinity and there is so much there that we are yet to cover ourselves. Anandgram could take you 1 to 2 hours but you can make a complete day out by exploring the area.

Pro-tips

• While all museums deserve silence, this is never more true for Anandgram. Given that artists and authors stay here during residency programs and work, a visitor should maintain the serenity and peace of this place.
• Do have a good photography device because you would experience many click-worthy moments.