Students from class X to XII received the opportunity to visit the phenomenal ‘Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum Complex’ on 31 August. I could not have even imagined how being president of the largest democracy of the world could feel, but the visit to the museum helped all of us live the experience of governing a country from the President’s chair.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum was earlier used as a garage to park the president’s carriages ever since Honorable President Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated it in 2014 as a museum. The museum is spread over three floors- the Ground floor, Upper Basement & Lower Basement. We were escorted from the main entrance to the Clock Tower, which was the entrance to the museum.

The ground floor has a display of the coaches: Victoria, Luggage & Training Coach & a Mercedes 500 SLE which was used by four Presidents until it was replaced by a Mercedes Limousine in 2012. One half of the floor is dedicated to the making of the Raisina Hill. Small enclaves show the preconstruction terrain of the Raisina Hill, construction of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, current aerial views & the parliament house. A scale model of the Rashtrapati Bhavan with rubber Silicon sculptures of the important people associated with its construction can also be viewed. The stages of the construction of the Rashtrapati Bhavan are also displayed & also the various regiments sketches are exhibited. The central area of the Ground Floor is used to showcase the Freedom Movement and Legislative Reforms in India

Moving down to the Upper Basement through the electronic escalators we were amazed to see the 3 dimensional holographic projection of the busts of former Presidents talking to the visitors. Right opposite the projection, the personal belongings/memorabilia of the current and former Presidents of the country were exhibited. The memorabilia displayed are of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam, Shri R. Venkataraman, Shri Giani Zail Singh, Shri Neelam Sanjiva Reddy & Shri V.V. Giri. Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalams suit which he wore for his swearing ceremony & the  suit that he wore during his last speech were are also displayed . An extraordinary piece of art gifted to the President by the Tata group is a treat to the eyes.

The floor also displays a part of the Presidents grand kitchen & his study and the dining area. An entire hall is dedicated to crockery that was used in the parliament, either gifted by foreign dignitaries or which were made in our country before and after independence. A Virtual Reality Show also gave us an experience to walk with Mahatma Gandhi. The other interesting aspects of the floor were sketches of the former Presidents sketched out of words describing them & a beautiful model of a ship made solely from cloves, that was gifted to the President.

The most esteemed medals- The Bharat Ratna , The Padma Vibhushan & other  medals were displayed on the floor, which was a sight to behold.

The lower basement of the museum is dedicated to treasures of the Rashtrapati Bhavan including a variety of paintings & sculptures that were previously displayed in the Marble Hall and other important places of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The floor also includes a 3D short film on the struggle & hardships that Mahatma Gandhi had to go through,  for our country.

The  museum gave all of us a feeling of being in the Rashtrapati Bhavan itself & experiencing its grandeur and opulence. Not only did the art works and sculptures in the museum help us relate to the text we study in class but also lighted the patriotic spark in all of us & motivated us to do something for our country.  The Rashtrapati Bhavan Museum complex is a complete package for the visitors who are keen observers of art, culture, heritage & history. One will have to visit this exceptional museum to see and experience what life in the Rashtrapati Bhavan is really about.