It roughly translates to “Mind the words you speak, for words have neither hands nor feet.” Almost five centuries since Sant Kabir said those words, a collective effort at the historic Belvedere House has given words a physical presence you can see, touch, smell and hear. Once the residence of British colonial administrator Warren Hastings, and for a long time after that, the main building of the National Library, the Museum of Word gives visitors nine galleries spread across twelve rooms to explore. I walked in expecting glass cases and the hush that usually presides over museums and libraries. The first thing I saw asked me to make noise.
What stood before me was a panel that looked like a xylophone, meant to convey that sound starts as a wave before acquiring meaning. There is something playful about the way the Museum of Word introduces you to language, not through a dictionary or a history lesson, but through sound, movement and visual cues. In the Alphabet Jungle section, for instance, you can find a massive immersive wall installation of languages spoken across India. The idea is to invite visitors to easily find their language, says Riya Ghosh, one of the museum members. Under it, there are receptacles with items like camphor and cinnamon, boxes where you can slide your hand in and identify cotton by touch alone. In the middle of the room, a digital book installation’s pages can be turned with the help of sensors. In the background, lullabies in various languages like Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Dogri and Bodo lull you into exploring the space at your own pace.
My experience with museums in Kolkata had never been so hands-on. There is always a distance you have to respect, certain boundaries you have to maintain. Museum of Word does not want to keep you at arm’s length. It invites you to come close and give in to your impulse to touch.
