Museum makes entry free for school groups to ignite kids’ love for history
Times of India | 11 July 2025
Kolkata: The Indian Museum has made entry free for school groups to encourage more students to visit the oldest and largest museum in South Asia.
Entry did use to be free for student groups, but in 2019, the museum introduced a fee of Rs 20 for visitors below 18 years. That decision was reversed at a meeting of the Board of Trustees last month following the museum's finance committee's proposal last Dec to waive fees for student groups. "Recognising students as the future custodians of our cultural legacy, Indian Museum is committed to nurturing curiosity and promoting learning from an early age. By removing entry barriers, the museum aims to encourage more educational visits and inspire a lifelong appreciation for history and culture," said Indian Museum director Arijit Dutta Choudhury.
By transforming into a living classroom, the museum aspired to empower the younger generations across social backgrounds to ensure every child gets a chance to engage with and take pride in India's cultural legacy, said museum deputy director Sayan Bhattacharya, pointing out Indian Museum was not just a repository of antiquities but also a place of awe. "It's a living heritage site eliciting curiosity, imagination among kids.
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Students visiting the museum are usually instantly captivated by the breadth and diversity of the collections: from one of the oldest fossil specimens—Stromatolite (a 3,200 million-year-old earliest specimen of life in South Asia) to Harappan artefacts, relics of Buddha, Ashokan Lion Capital and ancient sculptures—the museum presents a seamless timeline of India's civilisation journey. Among the most popular attractions is the 4,500-year-old Egyptian Mummy, one of the first of its kind ever to be exhibited in any museum. It continues to be a major draw for students, offering a tangible link to ancient global civilisations. Equally fascinating are the dinosaur eggs, the mammoth skeleton, rare botanical specimens and exquisite ivory artefacts.