HYDERABAD: The Salar Jung Museum deserves deemed university cum research institute status to offer better guidance to students and research scholars interested in museology, said Director A.K.V.S. Reddy here on Thursday.

Dr. Reddy who has been selected on two-year deputation for the post of Director General, National Museum and Vice-Chancellor, National Museum Institute, New Delhi told mediapersons that the museum was attached to Osmania University for offering Post-graduate diploma course in Museology. However, a full-fledged PG course with faculty drawn from Archeaology, Conservation, Fine Arts, Anthropology could provide students good guidance and yield valuable research work, he said.

Dr. Reddy who would be the first South Indian to occupy Director General post, the highest rank in museology, took several initiatives, including reorganisation of galleries in the Salar Jung Museum during his eight-year tenure.

Of the original collection of Salar Jung preserved in Deewan Devdi in 70 rooms, only 11,500 objects were put on display after the museum was shifted to the present premises. The remaining collection - over 30,000 pieces - was left in the stores which was modernised. During his tenure, Dr. Reddy increased the number of objects on display to 14,500. Special exhibitions were organised to put up some of the collection in the stores for public display, he said.

He cited organising exhibition of Nizam Jewellery for the second time within three years as a happy and challenging task. The exhibition with about 2,000 visitors was earning Rs. 1 lakh a day.

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