Gurugram’s first camera museum to open soon

Gurugram’s first camera museum, featuring a vintage collection of more than 1,000 cameras and photographs, is likely to open next month in Chakkarpur village near DLF Phase-4, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) commissioner Yashpal Yadav said on Monday.

Gurugram’s first camera museum, featuring a vintage collection of more than 1,000 cameras and photographs, is likely to open next month in Chakkarpur village near DLF Phase-4, Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) commissioner Yashpal Yadav said on Monday.

Over 1,000 vintage cameras and rare photographs feature in Gurugram’s first camera museum that is likely to open in February. (Yogendra Kumar/HT Photo)

The museum will showcase city-based photographer Aditya Arya’s collection of studio, field and portable cameras manufactured between 1880 and 1990 as well as photographs of historic moments chronicling India’s freedom struggle, Non-Aligned Movement, Sino-India War and Muslim League meetings, among others. The photographs are currently stored in the basement of the Arya’s DLF Phase-3 apartment.

His collection also includes spy cameras used in World War 1 and similar cameras used in World War 2.

“MCG is creating this museum for the residents of Gurugram, and add a cultural centre to its portfolio. This establishment will also draw people from other parts of the country to the city. We are hoping that it becomes a popular destination for tourists. We are expecting the project to be completed by next month. The final phase of the work is going on,” said Yashpal Yadav, commissioner of MCG.

In November 2017, the MCG and Arya had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the project.

Arya said he is confident that the museum will open latest by March.

“We are racing against the time for a February deadline for the museum, as there is some pending work, such as procuring generators for ensuring power backup and a few other electrical works, that needs to be finished. However, by March I am certain that the project will be ready taking into account any unprecedented delays,” said Arya.

MCG officials said that the museum is being constructed on an 18,000-square-foot land, where once a community centre was situated. The site is less than a kilometre away from the Galleria market.

The museum will be located on the ground floor and a darkroom for photographers to develop photos will also feature on this floor. The first floor will feature two photo galleries where photographers will have space to showcase their work, said Arya.

The second floor will have a conference area, a printing room, a workshop, a library and a back-end office. Parking space is also available near the museum where more than 40 vehicles can be parked, said MCG officials.

The cost of the project is ₹4.35 crore, as sanctioned by MCG, and an additional ₹1 crore has been spent by the photographer for renovating its interiors, which Arya says he is procuring through crowd-funding.

Arya said the price of the tickets for the museum is yet to be finalised and a decision in this regard will be taken with MCG officials, next month.

“A decision on ticket prices will be finalised by next month. It is likely that the tickets will be divided into three categories, one for the general public, one for students of private institutions, and one for students of government institutions. The prices will be reasonable to ensure there are a high number of visitors to the museum,” said Arya.

Arya added that he expects the operating costs for the museum to range between Rs14-15 lakh per month, and expect that the majority of this will be recovered through ticket sales.

He added that the museum will be open all seven days of the week and the establishment is likely remain open from 8 am-7 pm.

BOX to be added.