PM museum to exhibit walking sticks, batons from reserve collection

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI): A curated selection of walking sticks and batons — symbols of both exquisite craftsmanship and authority they once represented — drawn from the reserve collection of Prime Ministers’ Museum will be displayed as part of an exhibition that opens here on July 14, officials said on Monday.

Titled “Walking with Legacy”, the exhibition is being hosted at Parichay Gallery in the old building of the Pradhanmantri Sanghralaya complex in central Delhi.

The curated showcase from the “Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) Toshakhana featuring walking sticks and batons as markers of identity and governance”, will highlight their historical, cultural, artistic and symbolic significance, the officials said.

The exhibits, drawn from the “museum’s reserve collection”, seek to “explore the craftsmanship of these objects and their role as symbols of leadership, authority, status and personal identity, along with their association with distinguished leaders and eminent personalities”, according to a senior official.

The exhibition also aims to make the museum’s reserve collection accessible to the public while promoting greater awareness of India’s rich cultural heritage and encouraging meaningful visitor engagement with museum collections.

Walking sticks and batons are more than functional objects; they are examples of craftsmanship that combine utility, durability and artistic expression, they said.

“Artisans carefully select durable materials such as ebony, mahogany, rosewood, teak, sheesham, bamboo, malacca cane, and other hardwoods. The wood is seasoned, cut, shaped, turned and polished into the desired form using traditional woodworking techniques,” according to a note on the exhibition shared by the official.

Depending on their purpose, walking sticks and batons may be left plain or richly ornamented.

Handles and shafts are often enhanced with materials such as ivory, bone, brass, silver, copper, gold, gemstones or enamel. The finished pieces are assembled and coated with wax, oil, shellac or varnish for protection and durability, it said.

The collection presents diverse decorative elements, such as nature-inspired motifs; floral and geometric patterns; family crests, emblems, and symbolic designs; engraved inscriptions; and lacquer work and natural wood finishes, the note said. PTI KND RUK RUK

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