Tiny treasures

You feel a bit like Gulliver in Lilliput as soon as you enter the temporary exhibition gallery at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, or CSMVS. It seems as if the artefacts were sprinkled with fairy dust and reduced to dainty, miniature proportions overnight.

You would be able to explore objects that open up the world of miniaturization and its impact on the human mind and society. Reflected in the historical accounts, fantastical literature, performing arts, worship and child-play, you will be surprized by the number of miniature objects that surrounds you!

On view is a dollhouse with a scaled down version of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and thumb-sized beds, almirahs, a lamp and a clock. One also encounters three miniature model trains chugging through a panoramic landscape, complete with mini versions of rail tracks, signals and people.