Remembering Shri Ved Prakash Beri
Birla Museum at Pilani
The process of making Pilani in the state of Rajasthan into a town of educational institutions began as early as in 1901 with the establishment of a primary school Seth Shiv Narayan Birla (1838-1910). His grandson Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla (1894-1983) after that had established an intermediate college at Pilani in 1928. The Birla Education Trust (BET) was formed, also at Pilani, under his chairmanship in 1929. Then came up, one after the other, a Girls School (1931), a Degree College (1943), a Montessori School (1944) and the College of Engineering (1946), all at Pilani, under the BET before independence. In the early 1950s, a College of Arts (1951) and a College of Science (1952) were established. Subsequently, both science and engineering colleges merged to become the Birla Institute of Technology and Science.
From early 1950s Shri Ghanshyam Das Birla was toying with an idea to develop a science and technology museum in the country. He had a strong base in Calcutta, Delhi and also at Pilani. Shri GD Birla, therefore, engaged Dr Charles Fabri, a famous art critic of Hungarian origin, to set up a museum at Pilani. As a result, a nucleus of a museum was formed with some specimens of natural history, and a few art objects like miniature paintings, sculptures etc.
In 1952, the trustees of the museum visited the Imperial Institute in London which displayed various exhibits in respect of activities of the British Empire in colonial countries including India. There they found six dioramas on tea garden, rubber plantation, cotton mill, rolling mill, sugar mill and surface colliery very impressive. Intending to display similar exhibits in the Pilani Museum, they placed an order for duplication of the dioramas with a London based model maker M/s Rendal Page.
Unfortunately, the duplicated exhibits got damaged during transportation from London to Pilani. It transpired to the museum authorities that a huge sum would be needed to get those exhibits repaired by the British fabricators. They, therefore, requested Shri Dhanraj Bhagat, an eminent sculptor and professor of Delhi Polytechnic School of Arts (known as School of Planning and Architecture now) to arrange for repair of the dioramas at Pilani. Prof. Bhagat, in turn, advised Shri Ved Prakash Beri, a young artist of his college to accept the challenge.
Shri Ved Prakash Beri at his residence in New Delhi (2012)
Shri V P Beri was born on 8 August 1931 at Sialkot in undivided India, which now is in the Punjab province in Pakistan. He completed his college studies in Delhi. After graduating in science from Hindu College, he received a diploma in fine arts, in the field of sculpture, from Delhi Polytechnic School of Arts. In 1955 he began his career in Pilani Museum, as an assistant to Dr Charles Fabri. However, Fabri who was basically stationed in New Delhi discontinued his association with the project soon. Shri Beri then approached Shri S D Pande, Secretary of the Birla Education Trust and expressed his desire to shoulder the primary responsibility to give the museum an acceptable shape as was envisioned by Syt. (Shri) G. D. Birla. Shri Pande valued his promise and discussed the matter with Shri Birla. As a result, Shri Beri was appointed as a Curator of the budding museum and sent to Europe for a nine-month study tour of world-famous science museums including Science Museum in London and Deutsches Museum in Munich. The museum project thereafter was monitored by Syt. Lakshmi Niwas Birla, the eldest son of Shri G. D. Birla.
On his return from abroad in 1956, Shri Beri was fully enlightened and seriously focused on the Birla Museum project. He decided to fabricate all the exhibits of the museum in-house and engaged about a hundred local artisans as technicians. He was supported by a group of able supervisors. He deployed Shri N G Singh for fabrication of mechanical parts and Shri M. P. George for developing electrical circuits. Two creative artists Shri G. D. Ganu and Shri R. B. Kazi, were in his exhibit development team. He was further assisted by a highly skilled carpenter Shri Ramji Lal. A fairly large workshop was set up, and exhibits, such as dioramas, panoramas and models were created to matchless perfection. The working models could be operated with just the flick of a hand and a touch of a few buttons. The exhibits covered subject areas like agriculture, irrigation, metallurgy, nuclear science and coal mine; and were also on manufacturing plants or industries like automobile, oil, rubber, tea, sugar, salt, marble etc.
Smt Rama Beri, wife of Shri V.P. Beri, in 2013 recollected, “Back in those days, resources were limited, but despite that, exuberant models were created by the local artisans. These people had never ever stepped out of their small villages due to lack of transport, but they created a model of ‘growth of transportation system of the world’...wheels, cars, rails, ships and the latest model of aeroplanes with the minutest of details. For example, a Luxury Ship model had a swimming pool on the deck with human figures sitting on reclining chairs with umbrellas!”
Shri V P Beri accompanied Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Smt. Indira Gandhi through a gallery of Birla Museum (1961)
As the museum was growing day by day, a need was felt to house it in its own building of particular design to match its requirements. The majestic Birla Museum building, as we see now, was designed by renowned architect M/s Stien and Polk of Calcutta and its construction was completed in 1964, in the premises of Vidya Vihar, the celebrated Educational complex of Pilani. A large number of new exhibits along with the old ones were installed in this building. Many Artists, Interior decorators and Horticulturists were engaged to make the inner and outer environment of the building graceful. To add to the beauty of the Birla museum, a sculpture called the 'Cosmic Man' was installed at the entrance to welcome everyone. It was developed by a California based sculptor Shri Kewal Soni, who followed a design conceived by Shri Beri.
Shri Lakshmi Niwas Birla donated his personal collection of the most expensive master paintings and artefacts. An Art Gallery was specially designed on the first floor of the building to accommodate this collection. Science and technology exhibits of the museum were on metallurgy, transport, space, chemistry, textiles, agriculture, mining, arms, irrigation, nuclear science and so on.
'Cosmic Man' – a sculpture standing in the foreground of Birla Museum
Indoor water-body exhibit of Birla Museum
Diorama of a Blast Furnace
Besides being a very creative artist, Shri Beri was an excellent administrator. The Birla Museum reflects his energy - well maintained and organised, and it looks like a place of worship rather than a place of Industry and Technology. He left no stone unturned to maintain these high standards. Only the best always...no compromises! He was a man of few words, he dealt with his office staff in an incredibly unique way, with different coloured stationery for different people...the colour of the paper would represent the concerned person! His office colleagues respected and loved him fondly despite his strict nature.
Since 1957, Shri V.P. Beri, Shri Amalendu Bose and Shri Ramanatha Subramanian had maintained close professional contacts with each other, although their planning strategies of science museum exhibits differed greatly.
Shri R. Subramanian during a conversation with Dr Sthanapati in 2013 had praised Shri V P Beri with following words -- “I have known Mr V.P. Beri right from the inception of his career in the mid-fifties in the domain of museology. Sitting at the hub of activities of the Birlas, he had set up not only a Haveli Museum (Family Museum) but was also instrumental in visualising a Central Museum covering the areas of physical science and engineering. Mr Beri as a man of art was very aesthetic of many things that he did or planned. He was also a person of great human qualities and discussed exhibits, dioramas without mincing words. He would appreciate without any reservation right presentation and works. There is a saying “Nihil quod tetigit non-ornavit” (He touched nothing without embellishing it). Indeed, this applies to Mr V P. Beri. His office, his instruments and the exhibits were all spic and span all the time. The Museum World will very much miss his personality.”
While answering a question on the unique or greatest contribution of Shri V P Beri in science museum activities, Dr Saroj Ghose, former Director General of National Council of Science Museums at the same time wrote, “Exhibits in art and archaeology museums are intrinsically artistic in nature. In contrast, science museum exhibits, mostly machines and equipment, did not have an attractive look as Victor Danilov, the longtime Director of Chicago Museum of Science & Industry termed it as 'ugly duckling'. In my opinion, the greatest contribution of V P Beri was the introduction of artistic elements in otherwise ugly exhibits of science museums through well-designed visual support and dioramas. If not for anything else, Shri Beri will ever be remembered for outstanding dioramas creating 3D perspective even in small restricted space, with simple, ingenious animations. ... Both BITM and VITM were initially developed with so-called sobre approach in the display, but at a much later stage, the new generation of exhibition officers in NCSM came up with brilliant, colourful artistic displays based on their own imagination. In my opinion, Shri Beri's concept of the display was ultimately vindicated in the science museums of India.”
In 1996, Shri Beri retired from Birla Museum and became Director of K.K. Birla Academy of Scientific, Historical and Cultural Research in New Delhi. Dr V N Dhaulakhandi took over charge of this great science museum from him. Dr Dhaulakhani had started his career in Birla Museum as an Education Officer in 1982. He narrates an interesting incidence about his selection by Shri Beri, “I met him for the first time in December 1981 when I was called for interview. This interview was kind of interesting as I was called for 5 days. On first four days, I was asked to observe the working of Workshop Division, Upkeep Division, Maintenance Division and Establishment Division. On the fifth day, Mr VP Beri called me in his chamber, and the only question he asked was ‘When can you join?’ I was speechless as I had entered in the office for a formal interview. Later I realised that during first four days he observed me in various departments, he found that I may be suitable for the Museum and therefore offered me the job. I joined the Museum in April 1982.”
Shri K. K. Birla while discussing an issue with Shri V P Beri and Dr V N Dhaulakhandi (2008)
In 1960, Shri V P Beri married Smt Rama Beri, who came from a bureaucrat background and had earned BA and BEd degrees from Delhi University. In Smt Beri's words, “Shri Beri was a soft-spoken and very kind-hearted gentleman. His firm square jawline not only made him handsome but also a man of determination and confidence. The most loving father and a great husband who was adored by all...Mr.Beri! Last but not the least, adding the most important feather in the cap, if one goes through his 50-year-old papers and files (income tax documents, medical bills, job offer letter etc.) even today, one will see them compiled meticulously, and neatly labelled with details...that's Mr Beri for you. Full of precision, perfection, concern, love and affection for every little thing he did and for every person he cared for...his family, friends and colleagues. His friends called him a Cute Curator...as in Cute Creator.. like Lord Vishnu.”
Shri Ved Prakash Beri passed away peacefully at his home in New Delhi in the wee hours on 9 December 2012. The science museum fraternities will always remember him.
References
1. Beri, Ved Prakash. Personal interview with J Sthanapati. 18 July 2003.
2. Subramanian, Ramanathan. Personal interview with J Sthanapati. 13 January 2013.
3. Beri, Rama. Message to V N Dhaulakhandi. 22 January 2013. E-mail.
4. Dhaulakhandi, V N. Message to J Sthanapati. 22 January 2013. E-mail.
5. Ghose, Saroj. Message to J Sthanapati. 27 January 2013. E-mail.
Publication: Dhaulakhandi, V.N. and Jayanta Sthanapati. “Remembering Ved Prakash Beri: an artist who created one of the early science museums in India” Propagation. 4 (2013) 9-14.
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