As a child I always wondered how close I will get to that small little object up in the sky. As I walked into The Heritage Transport museum, I felt I have reached a vintage age and I strongly recommend for any age group to once personally experience .Go back to an era where transport was simple, classy and simply less polluted. Museum took me back to pieces of history from just everything one can imagine from journey of the wheels, Air transport, Indigenous modes of transport like phat-phat & Jugaad, scooters, motorbikes, boats and canoe to hand sewn boats. Various aquatints, Lithographs, Railways, Buggies & Bullocks, Camels, Horses, Elephant carts, Buses, Trucks, Arts of India & Pakistan, Folk of Tribal Art (Worli paintings depicting the transport), Classic cars/toys in the olden times for children.
I was fascinated to see the brilliant journey of a wheel’s creation and its transformation. Palace on wheels started in 1982, a coach called Jodhpur Saloon built in 1930 in Ajmer stands there talking so much history. The mirror work on the ceiling, wood furnishing in Burma teak, Vegetable dye paintings on the ceiling infuses tradition. On the background I was fascinated by the prisms of perception video which exhibited different modes of trains in each panel.
Being from a Rajput(Indian Race) family , my father owned a buggy and I have fond memories of us going to school in a buggy (horse carriage) which was in early 90’s and now it feels like such a long time. There are four floors in this museum out of which one exhibits older buses & trucks. While I was appreciating these marvelous pieces came by the biggest surprise: Truck which read Dundlod (My Ancestral home-village in Shekhawati region).To my amazement it was given by a collector to the museum and the last operational ride was from Dundlod to Ramgarh. A Fargo passenger bus used in 1956 in India. One can find such amazing cool things and specially the child nostalgia sections transports you back to being a kid.
We all are familiar with the Indian trucks designs which can be spotted from far away due to the bright florescent colors used. The logos like Horn OK Please, Smile Please, and Tata: Bye-Bye, Kindly Overtake, Mad about India is so much fun. I loved the Pakistani trucks which had a different look full of bright peacocks & eagles with great detailing A great mix of Indian as well as International transport mediums gives one a great knowledge on transport. Most interesting was a Hindustan Motors Contessa which was covered completely with 1 paisa coin and the Crystal encrusted Royal Enfield. From one floor of Colorful unique Tuk Tuk (Autos), Rickshaw and mopeds to another whole floor covered with vintage Chevrolet & Fords. Unique art installations with space ships and walls covered with Pan India flight advertisements in India.
I enjoyed picking up some creative items from their souvenir shop which had a wide variety of bags, cushion covers, funky truck toys, colorful oil lamps and vintage coasters. It was a great experience & I would suggest that this can be included while you are travelling from Jaipur to Delhi or vice versa.
