Aviation, martial, and modern art: Red Fort gets new permanent exhibitions

The two Air India galleries were inaugurated on December 5 alongside two other permanent exhibitions during a UNESCO meeting on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.

The Red Fort has added new permanent exhibitions to its growing roster of museums, offering visitors a rare blend of aviation history, modern Indian art and martial heritage under one roof. The galleries, thrown open to the public on Sunday,include two sections from the Air India Maharaja Collection and a sweeping “Arms and Armour” exhibition, marking a significant expansion of the historic complex’s cultural offerings.

The new Arms and Armour gallery at Red Fort. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

The Air India exhibition – curated by the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) – includes an immersive audio-visual experience. Vintage baggage tags flicker across the screen, followed by route maps from 1957, while the airline’s iconic Maharaja mascot – red turban, curled moustache and all – sings and dances through cities such as Cairo, Rome, Nairobi, Prague and Tokyo in classic advertisements that once sold India to the world.

Archival photographs of early Air India aircraft follow, including one standing beside JRD Tata, founder of the airline, are accompanied by a voiceover recalling Tata’s commemorative flight from Karachi to Bombay marking the company’s 30th anniversary.

This presentation sets the tone for the Air India Maharaja Collection, now on permanent display at the Red Fort.

The collection spans a remarkable range of Indian art across periods, from ancient sculptures and Mughal miniatures to post-Independence and contemporary works. “Air India began collecting art as early as the 1940s, displaying it in airports, lounges, offices and ticketing counters across the world to encourage people to visit India,” said Jyoti Tokas, curator of the exhibition from NGMA, which took over custodianship of the collection in 2023.

Housed in two adjoining British-era barracks, the exhibition is divided into two thematic sections titled “The End is the New Beginning” and “Wings of Modernity”. Visitors encounter everything from a French ceramic clock depicting Joan of Arc and traditional textiles from across India to paintings by MF Husain and SH Raza, sculptures from post-Independence India, miniature aircraft models and artworks inspired by Air India’s visual legacy.

Tokas added that to honour the artists whose art is a part of the collection, NGMA will be inviting them to view the exhibition next week.

The two Air India galleries were inaugurated on December 5 alongside two other permanent exhibitions during a UNESCO meeting on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage.

One of the other new galleries, curated by the National Museum, is the expansive “Arms and Armour” exhibition, while another focuses on archaeological objects excavated from the Red Fort complex itself.

The “Arms and Armour” gallery traces the evolution of Indian weaponry through centuries, displaying wooden and steel bows, flintlock guns, animal-mounted pistols, daggers, swords and an array of protective gear, including helmets, chainmail and leather armour. Particularly striking in it is a section showcasing arms linked to historical figures – from Tipu Sultan’s sword and Sangram Singh’s shield to Bahadur Shah Zafar’s bow. Interactive quiz stations placed throughout the galleries add a participatory element for visitors.

The new galleries will be permanent additions to the Red Fort. For the Air India exhibitions, the two parts have differing degrees of permanence. “For the first part, we are thinking of keeping the theme permanent, and switching the art items. However, as we are getting requests to display the exhibition in other countries such as China and Russia, we are thinking of keeping the second space as more dynamic. We are thinking of changing the theme after a year, with different artworks from the exhibition,” said Tokas.

“I really enjoyed the exhibition, and loved the variety of things on display. It is a good mix of installations. I found myself awestruck by the weapons used by historical leaders. I loved the quizzes as well, and I plan to visit again soon,” said 27-year-old Vinay Singh, a visitor.