I happened to visit the Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum by chance. I was in Delhi to attend a conference and did no local sightseeing, except this museum. Such is the life of a corporate slave. Never mind!
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum was the residence of former Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. It stands in the posh political region of Safdarjung Road in New Delhi.
Indira Gandhi moved into this house after her father Jawaharlal Nehru’s death in 1964. She was the first woman Prime Minister of India and served in office twice for a collective period of 15 years. Her role was crucial in some landmark decisions for India such as Nationalizing Banks, Garibi Hatao Programme, Declaration of Emergency in 1975 and the decision to call off the Elections in 1977. All these actions were taken in this residence while she was in power.
Inside the museum
The museum is a compact but lovely place worth visiting with large number exhibits on Mrs. Gandhi from newspaper cuttings to her personal belongings, letters to her children and her diary. Rare candid photographs of Mrs. Gandhi and her family also adorn museum walls.
A crucial display includes Mrs. Gandhi’s bag, her chappals and her blood stained saree when she was assassinated. She had ordered the Operation Blue Star which gave military forces special powers to fire inside the Golden Temple in Amritsar to eliminate political revolutionary Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers. The aftermath saw thousands of innocent Sikh deaths which infuriated the community and led to her assassination in 1984 by two of her Sikh bodyguards.
The final few meters of her walk towards Akbar Road on 31st October, 1984, have been covered with crystal glass symbolizing a river in flow. The exact location where she fell after being shot is also covered with glass.
The Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum gives citizens a glimpse into the homes of affluent Indian politicians. Through huge glass windows, visitors can see Indira Gandhi’s dressing room, her dining room, the hall, her bedroom and the most impressive room of the house – her study.
Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum visiting hours
Address
No. 1, Safdarjung Road, New Delhi- 110 011
Timings
9:30 am to 4:45 pm (closed on Mondays)
Entrance ticket
Free of charge
Photography
Allowed (free of charge)
Liked this post? Read other stories from Delhi
- Try authentic Tibetan food at Majnu ka Tilla in North Delhi
- Visiting Sulabh International Museum of Toilets in Dwarka
Suggested reading on Indira Gandhi
a) Indira Gandhi: Tryst With Power
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