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What started in 2015, with a view to reducing carbon footprint, has culminated in a laudable, holistic, energy-saving, sustainable practice.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS, Mumbai) joined hands with the Rotary Club of Bombay to launch a solar energy project for the museum, generating green energy. The museum will soon get an LEED Certificate – the highest for sustainable practices – issued by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC). Art patron Manoj Israni, President, Blue Cross Laboratories, has sponsored the project on behalf of Rotary.

On its part, the Rotary Club of Bombay believes that Indian culture and heritage need not only be preserved but also enhanced. The evening of April 24th, 2019 saw the unveiling of the lighting of the Museum’s façade and garden which enhances the museum heritage architecture within the art deco precinct of the city. The project will use bare minimum energy and the LED lights won’t disturb the pre-existing atmosphere or the night birds that have found their homes there.

The CSMVS is Mumbai’s premiere museum, situated in the heart of the city. The year 1904 triggered off an art revolution when the museum was built to commemorate the visit of the Prince of Wales to Bombay. Almost a hundred years later, another art revolution is brewing with several corporates taking the initiative to preserve and enhance private museums comprising of works of leading artists as well as preserving India’s national treasures.

The Museum has beautiful Indo-Saracenic architecture with a mélange of Gothic, Mughal, Maratha and Jain styles that are unique to the area. It is also home to over 70,000 exhibits. Dr. Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Director General, CSMVS said, “The museum doesn’t belong to me, it is ours – of the people of Mumbai, for the people of Mumbai.”

While the LEED certification is en route, an additional 35 KW of solar panels have been installed within the museum premises. This has brought down energy consumption down by an additional 9.3 per cent. CSMVS’s rainwater harvesting capacity has been increased from 10,000 litre to 40,500 litre, aiming to make the institution self-sustaining. A sewage treatment plant has been proposed to make optimum use of the water drained into the sink to maintain the building’s gardens and lawns.