Conservation for Common Man- A Guide to Preservation of Antiquities (New Series-General Section - Chemical Conservation - Volume II, 2011)

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Archaeology is the study of human history based on the material remains left behind in various forms - Monuments, Antiquities, Art works, Manuscripts etc., In order to get a clear understanding of the past, it is necessary to preserve these rare specimens in a reasonably good state of conservation. Therefore, the role of conservation in preserving cultural properties becomes significant. Conservation is the term used to denote interventions - both preventive and curative - that are applied on antiquities so as to extend their life span and preserve them for the purpose of study, enjoyment and enlightenment.

The Government Museum, Chennai, One of the best and Oldest State Museums in the country was established in 1851. This multi-purpose Museum is located in 16.25 acres of land with six independent buildings housing 46 Galleries. The multi-faceted Museum is organized under the following sections: Archaeology, Art, Anthropology, Numismatics, Zoology, Botany, Geology and Children's Museum. To preserve the antiquities from destruction, the Chemical Conservation and Research Laboratory was established in the year 1930. This is the first State to have started conservation activity covering a wide range of objects. Beginning with Dr. S. Paramasivam as the first Curator, this laboratory is known for its pioneering work in conservation research and consultancy not only for Government Departments including Archaeological Survey of India, but also to private institutions and individuals. Successive Curators have carried on the initial efforts and continue to serve the cause of preservation of cultural artefacts. A number of programmes, seminars and workshops have been conducted by the laboratory over the years. Starting from the year 1974, it has been conducting the training Course on "Care of Museum Objects at Chemical Conservation Research Laboratory every year during the month of June. It has trained thousands of conservators and art lovers in preventive conservation. It has also provided consultancy services to leading institutions such as the Raj Bhavan, Madras High Court, Madras University and several Museums including Fort Museum in various aspects of conserving the rare objects.

The National Manuscripts Mission initiated by the Government of India has recognized the Chemical Conservation & Research Laboratory as "Manuscripts Conservation Centre and authorized it to conduct training programmes. Recently, the Centre conducted a two weeks training programme Curative Conservation of Paper and Palm-leaf Manuscripts from 14.2.2011 to 28.2.2011. As a lov up on this initiative the proposal of the Government Museum, Chennai to declare Government Orienta Manuscripts Library, Chennai a unit of the State Department of Archaeology as a Manua Resource Centre [MRC] has been accepted.

Tmt. J.M.Gandhimathi, Curator of the Chemical Conservation and Research Laboratory d the Museum has been taking keen interest in organizing the various activities of the Laboratory wh dedication and professional competence. During the last three years of her Curatorship the Laboratory has conducted several workshops, training courses and exhibitions related to conservan of cultural heritage. The scheme of treating artefacts of the 20 Government Museums in the Districs a cyclical order has been revived. Similarly, 300 Nos. of Bronze icons repatriated by District Museum to the Government Museum, Chennai have been treated, in many cases for the first time. In order t equip herself with the State of Art in Conservation Technology she was sponsored for the one month long International training programme "Conservation of Sound and Images" (SOIMA) conducted by the ICCROM at New Delhi during November and December 2009. She has participated in severa seminars and contributed lectures, papers etc.,

During the last year (2010), the Government of Tamil Nadu organized two major events:

1. World Classical Tamil Conference at Coimbatore.

2. Millennium Celebration of the completion of Brahadeeswara Temple-Thanjavur in which the Department of Archaeology and Museums participated and organized a special exhibition. The exhibitions consisting of Sculptures, Bronze Objects, Architectural and Anthropological antiquities and manuscripts, painting and other art works was a great success. More than 10 lakhs people visited the exhibition during the event and derived pleasure and benefit. Considering the overwhelming response from public the Government of Tamilnadu extended the period of the exhibition even after completion of the main events, to cater to the huge public demand.

This handbook is aimed primarily at art lovers and persons interested in conservation of rare objects. The main objective is to educate the common man about the essentials of conservation. It is not a book for specialists but a handy guide to those interested in adopting conservation practices at home with limited resources at their command. It is expected to be comprehensible to the layman and general public who will find it useful for carrying out simple treatment for objects needing immediate conservation. I hope this book will be used as source of reference material for the above purpose.

I wish to compliment the Curator, Tmt. J.M.Gandhimathi as well as the other staffs Thiru. J.D. Jaganathan, Lab Assistant and Thiru N.Asokan, Technical Assistant who have contributed significantly to the cause of conservation in general and who have helped meeting the needs of conservators, research scholars and general public.

Conservation is no longer the dusting, brushing, scrapping clean and affixing of missing appendages to the worn out leather puppet or stitching the frayed threads of long forgotten jute costume in the Museum collection. "It has become a widespread public concern for preserving. revealing and studying the past" (Chris Caple 2000). I took charge of the Conservation section with pleasant hopes of shouldering the innumerable responsibilities lying ahead but I was aghast when an unwashed coffee flask was sent to the laboratory for 'cleaning' by a colleague. The conservation laboratory was an emergency clinic not only for museum objects but also to its visitors. Anyone who got hurt was automatically directed to the lab for first aid treatment! I wondered who the 'conservators are in the eyes of the people? What do they expect from us? My quest to find answers for these led me to take the principles of conservation to them and find their opinion. To my amazement, I discovered that most of them knew nothing about conservation which forced me to conduct as many awareness programs as possible to advocate its causes. This book is another step in this venture to demystify heritage conservation and make it a mass movement like those for green conservation.

I am obliged to thank our Principal Secretary/Commissioner of Museums, Dr.T.S.Sridhar, IAS, for guiding me in every step of attaining this objective whether it was through starting of Heritage Conservation Club at the museum or attending the many training sessions throughout the country or giving lecture demos for trainees in various Universities and Organizations. He made it clear that conservation has to be taken to the students, into their classrooms, since they would be the guardians of our cultural heritage in future. Numerous college students both in the urban and rural areas have benefitted from the practical workshops on preventive conservation through the network of district Museums in Tamilnadu. It has been planned to involve housewives, elderly and general public also through the Heritage conservation club to engage them in the 'Protect our cultural heritage movement. I wish to thank my family members for their support and tolerance without which I would not have found the time to complete this book. My heartfelt gratitude to the doyens in the field of conservation, my colleagues and special thanks to my conservation laboratory staff Mr.J.D.Jeganathan, Mr. N. Asokan, and NMM conservators Mr. Thirunavukkarasu and Mr. Senthil.