Confl-i-ctorium: What I am surrounded by!
It had been one of those mundane Mondays of the summer holidays and the Ahmedabad temperature had risen up to 42 degree Celsius. I had been laying on the bed in the languid afternoon, confused about how to pass my time.No, I wasn’t thinking of doing something productive of that sort until I had a glimpse of the city supplement which was just kept next to me. I was indolently surfing through the supplement newspaper when an article on ‘Museums of Ahmedabad’ caught my attention. The article was on our 600-year-old walled city of Ahmedabad which was declared the World Heritage City from India in 2017 which was a moment of pride for the ‘Amdavadis’. It mentioned about the different museums to visit here. Heritage walks were organized within the city even before it was declared WHC, but not every site could be travelled in short duration.Lot many artifacts regarding the heritage and culture are preserved in the museums. But what about the thoughts? Could you preserve or showcase an ideology of why a history changing and heritage making idea took place? Well, here it is a one unprecedented kind of a museum located in the midst of the old city of ‘Apnu Amdavad’ which is altogether experienced. Hence, I set out to visit the museum.
Conflictorium, a house turned to a museum located in the Mirzapur area of Kalupur. It is restored and converted into an exhibition space. The history of restoring this space is as fascinating as its location. The Gool Lodge, belonged to Gujarat’s first female barber, i.e. Bachuben Nagarwala, a Parsi who later on donated her house to a designer. The designer, Avni Sethi, was a student of Srishti Institute of Design, Bangalore and is the founder/ brain of the concept behind Conflictorium. Enthralling is to see a Parsi edifice in an area which is dominated by Muslims. Such strong amalgamation of varied traditions is observed in this zone. The central idea of the museum revolves around the conflict that one faces in their everyday lives. Conflict between two people, between a society and most of the times with oneself. It mainly focuses on the Conflicts that had inflicted Gujarat and the philosophy behind the inflict. Eventually, the old city where the museum is located has had the history of communal riots too.
As I enter the place for the first time, Simran Dhaliwal, a volunteer at the Conflictorium guides me about the place and hands me a map to follow the places accordingly. Hanging banners with contemplating thoughts on the issues such as non-violence, banning of manual scavengers, Swami Vivekananda welcomed me. The structure and the interiors had a typical ultra-mile Blue shade to it. As you go around the first place as mentioned in the map, it takes you to the maze of an animal polity. The working of Government is shown with the help of animal society. There are various art-installations describing this which act as a permanent exhibit in the museum. All the exhibits are open, free to be touched, felt and experienced by the visitors. The rooms are interestingly named such – Moral compass, Empathy Alley, Perspectives and Gallery of Disputes. There is also a ‘Memory lab’ in which the visitors can write their deepest memory which haunts them, on a piece of paper and store them in a glass jar, meaning- learning to accept the truth which haunts you. It has a Peepal ‘Sorry Tree’ on which you can express your apologies to the ones whom you’ve hurt unknowingly or knowingly but never had the courage to apologize. A letter which was written before his death by Rohit Vemula, a dalit student who was harassed and tortured by his fellow mates because of his caste, is also portrayed on the wall. The museum is able to capture all these ideas very well which makes you ponder upon the situations leading to conflict and the resolution. People talk about resolution every time, but why not talk about the problem which led to this event.
This place is now open to all the artists, poets, historians, designers who wish to express themselves through their work. Open mics, storytelling, film screenings are organized here. Gender is also a subject which is majorly discussed. A sense of tranquility is felt as you go through the labyrinthine blues of the museum. The typical ancient staircase, which is generally seen in the ‘pols’ is seen with the colorful glassed windows which makes the floor all hued as the sunlight passes from it.
It’ll leave a sense of contemplation and empathy as you exit the place. The place acts as a huge mirror which reflects your inner self.