The Raja Dinkar Kelkar Museum in Pune is preparing to celebrate International Museum Day on Monday with a packed schedule of launches, interactive heritage sessions and sustainability initiatives.
Theme and Focus
The museum will follow the theme ‘Museums Uniting a Divided World’, announced by the International Council of Museums, headquartered in Paris, for 2026. This theme underscores the role of museums in bridging cultural divides and fostering global understanding.
Multilingual Podcast Documentary Series
A multilingual podcast documentary series launch will take centre stage for the celebration. The series explores the life and vision of the museum’s founder, the late Dinkar Gangadhar Kelkar, whose vast personal collection evolved into one of Pune’s most iconic institutions.
The podcast series includes five episodes and eight short show reels produced in Marathi, English, German, French, Spanish and Japanese. This reflects the museum’s attempt to reach wider and younger audiences in formats more familiar to the streaming era.
The first Marathi episode will be launched online at 11:30 am by Ajit Gadgil, founder and president of PN Gadgil & Sons and the Zapurza Museum of Art and Culture. The series examines the museum’s rare collections, its historical voyage and future expansion plans, while also documenting Kelkar’s contribution to preserving everyday Indian material culture. The initiative has been developed with financial support from PN Gadgil and Sons and technical collaboration from Pancham Veda and T3 Media Solutions.
Interactive Heritage Sessions
The museum will also host Vastu Setu (Objects as Bridges), an object handling session organised with Sambhasha Foundation between 11 am and 4 pm. Unlike traditional museum experiences where artefacts remain locked behind glass, this session will allow visitors to closely observe and interact with selected objects from different regions, cultures and historical periods through guided engagement.
Sustainability Initiatives
Later in the evening, a solar power system, developed with the support of Shri Firodia Trust, will be inaugurated by Abhay Firodia, chairman of Force Motors. Moreover, representatives from Anam Prem, a social service organisation, will felicitate museum staff members for their contributions to the cultural sector.
