Kishwar Desai | British Museum loses argument for hanging on to looted treasures

Whenever one goes to the British Museum it is an awe inspiring experience — and the artefacts are endless and amazing. So is the splendour of the upkeep — the brightness of the atrium, the meticulous lighting in the galleries, the rows and rows of endless notes and detailing …it is nothing less than overwhelming.

We always need several visits to even begin to understand the scale and scope of the collection. But now I wonder — how much of it is just sheer gloss? And beneath that, like so many museums in the world, has the British Museum, too, been struggling under the sheer weight of its marvellous collections many of which lay in storehouses?

As our small trust runs two museums in Amritsar and Delhi, I very much do appreciate the value of displays and original collections which can be frequently changed. In our two niche museums on the Partition of India — we display almost 100 per cent of our collections — and do keep adding to it. Yes, some material is kept in the archives for special displays or travelling exhibitions but we have neither the wealth nor the glory of the British Museum which has been in the space of collecting artefacts for almost 200 years.

And thus, it was no surprise to me when the news broke that perhaps up to 2,000 items from the British Museum had been stolen, or were unaccounted for. My guess is that the number is probably much higher as when the whistle blower raised the alarm in 2020, it was taken quite casually even then.

Ittai Gradel, the whistleblower and a British-Danish antiquities dealer maintains that more than 942 unregistered gems have gone missing apart from other valuable antiquities.

Yet this makes the claims of the British museums as somehow being better run than those in other countries somewhat weak. For instance, when we, from the erstwhile colonies, have discussed the return or loan of items from the British Museum and Archives in the past — our requests have been dismissed because it was clear to all (or so it seemed) that had these artefacts remained in India —- they would have been ruined by us through poor upkeep or been preyed upon by art smugglers.

“At least” was the refrain I heard most often from curators and museologists in the UK “everything is safe in UK museums.”

However, this apparently is not so the case anymore. I am further alarmed in learning that there are many other museums in the UK with similarly large collections which are struggling with documentation. How much of these collections must already be in private hands one can only surmise — it takes only one unscrupulous museum employee to cause immense damage.

Should the British Museum, and the others not think of downsizing, and creating more niche museums all over the country?

It also makes the case for repatriation much more strong. As a democracy it must change its stance on hanging on to erstwhile colonial collections — and like other countries perhaps help in the setting up of museums in places like India by either returning the looted material, or by sending them out on long loans.

After these thefts from the British Museum, the old arguments of anything being safer in the British Museum no longer holds.

Perhaps it is really time that the British Museum and the British Library — built largely from collections from the colonies — began thinking of returning some of the material and keeping only that which they can display, by emptying out their storehouses.

Hmmmm…. And after the museums, which were the pride and glory of us Londoners — the dangerous state of school buildings in the country makes me wonder how swiftly we are narrowing the gap between us and the rest of the “deprived“ world. The shocking reality that many schools in UK have been rendered unsafe due to poor construction material being used is unimaginable. Again, the “whistleblowers” were ignored — so were does this leave us? It appears that “aerated concrete” was used in some schools and these should have been reconstructed, else they are likely to fall down. However, nothing has happened on it for months …till the news broke and now hundreds of inspectors are scurrying around identifying the “dangerous” buildings. Let’s hope the children remain safe from any calamity.

Well, the one cheerful piece of news (which will also make a pleasant splash in the UK) is that the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will visit the country of his origin for the G-20 summit. The excitement around this means that it will undoubtedly push his ratings in the UK in the positive direction once again. Though there will be leaders from other powerful countries — his public adherence to his Hindu faith and the fact that he is of Indian origin will make him a special favourite!

Welcome home Rishi!