‘Blades of Glory’ – Cricket Museum

-

 

‘Blades of Glory’ – Cricket Museum

Cricket is an extraordinary sport. Apart from being a sport, cricket is a celebration. It is an emotion that binds the whole nation together. Cricket was invented in England during the 17th century. Today, a lot of countries play this sport but there is no denying that nobody worships cricket like the Indians do. Cricket unites people of all ages, gender, color, and nations. Cricket doesn’t discriminate and maybe that’s why it’s loved by one and all. Whether it’s ODI, Test, IPL, or gully cricket, it is always thrilling to watch cricket.

India has a very rich history when it comes to cricket. Some of the best cricketers in the world are treasures from India. A museum has been built in Pune, India to celebrate this enchanting sport. The ‘Blades of Glory’ cricket museum was founded in 2012 by Rohan Pate, a former Indian cricketer. The museum was inaugurated by the legend Sachin Tendulkar himself. The museum stands as the world’s largest cricket museum and is entirely dedicated to the sport of cricket. Rohan Pate envisioned Blades of Glory especially for cricket enthusiasts, to give people an opportunity to learn about the history of cricket and immerse themselves in their passion, to inspire the younger generation. The museum houses an impressive collection of 75,000 pieces of memorabilia and artifacts from cricketers all over the world. The chief objective of the museum is to preserve and share the golden moments of cricket throughout the history and the present. 

The museum is located in a residential building on the 3rd floor. They have combined 2 flats on the same floor to have a comfortable space for the museum. The area of the museum spans almost 5000 sq. ft. The entrance to the museum is through a wide door. At the entrance, there is a display of the evolution of bats from the 1720s to today. The museum inside displays unbelievable and rare collectibles that includes personally autographed bats, balls, jersey, kits, caps, shoes, and gloves by heroic cricketers all over the world. The gallery pays tribute to so many cricket legends including Sachin Tendulkar, Dhoni, Yuvraj, Virat Kohli, Gayle, and Watson. There are collectibles on display signed by an entire team. This only goes to show that cricket is never a one-man game but always a team effort. Signed jerseys of Indian women cricketers are also on display. The museum showcases a short video in which a brief history of cricket and how the museum came to be is narrated while pictures of cricketers visiting the museum run in the background. The museum also exhibits evergreen photos of teams and players from memorable matches. A beautiful art piece of Virat Kohli made of thumbtacks is put on display in a room specially dedicated to him.

The residential building was developed by Amit Enterprises but there is no mention of the interior designer of the museum. The interior of the museum is kept simple and subtle. Walls are decorated with wood finish laminates that give very earthy and rustic vibes. Soft wallpapers are used in contrast to wood laminates as to add light tones and keep the attention on the displays. Wood finish flooring that goes with the walls and plain effortless ceiling with spotlights are used to not disturb the symphony. The palette used is very modest so the eyes travel from one artifact to another without any uneasiness to the eyes. All the windows are closed with blinds to avoid any harsh natural light. Artificial lighting has been carefully planned to illuminate/highlight necessary spaces. The entire museum is ventilated through AC so that comfortable temperatures are maintained in all climates. Use of reflective glass in small spaces to make the space look bigger and to avoid dense feeling areas. The main hall is decorated with a very stunning chandelier that highlights the space even more. The building is located at a dead end of a very sparsely populated area so noise pollution isn’t an issue.

The museum holds a New World Record for collecting a total of 51,000+ cricket memorabilia. It is also mentioned in the Limca Book of Records. By the year 2021, more than 500 International Cricket Players have visited the museum. Blades of Glory is a monument in itself filled with timeless memorabilia and artifacts that gives tribute to one of the most loved sport, cricket. This museum highlights the history, culture, impact, and achievements of cricket from the past to the present. It offers the visitors a mesmerizing experience that celebrates their passion while serving as an epitome of inspiration for the younger generation and a walkway through memory lane for the older generation. Rohan Pate is taking wider steps toward his dreams and currently working on expanding the museum and opening a second branch in Chennai.


   By Isha Mutha

thearchdiaries.blogspot.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Upcoming Architecture

-
Image
Upcoming Architecture “As an architect, you design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for the future which is essentially unknown”   -Norman Foster Architecture has always strived to perform for timelessness. The evolution of architecture goes hand in hand with the evolution of our species. The journey from nomads in caves to established residents in sky-high apartments has been prolonged and inventive. We are going to need architecture as long as humans exist on this planet or any other for that matter. While we think about the future of humans, it is obvious to question the future of architecture.  Future of Architecture With increasing population, decreasing land, global warming, increased pollution, higher standards of living, and a falling economy, architecture has become more challenging than ever before. It is presumed that the future should bring solutions to all these problems. With given advancements in technology and innovations of new materials every
Read more

The Human Scale

-
Image
 The Human Scale This blog is based on the video film "The Human Scale' by Andreas M. Dalsgaard and presented by 'Final Cut for Real'. The architect Jan Gehl has studied and written about cities for people for 40 years. I came across this video through my Urban Studies class and was so moved by it that I couldn't waste the opportunity to write about it. This blog will just be a narration of the video and nothing more. The lines and quotes in the movie are really inspiring so might as well help me remember if I write them here. You could watch the video to relate to it on a much different level. It's available on YouTube under the name  'The Human Scale'.  Imagine a science fiction film in a cold distant Urban landscape. Imagine that we live in that future right now. The mega city is the reality, giga cities are soon to be. Amidst this cold bleak vision of the future, we have the human being. It doesn't fit the cliche of modernity. It is personal, wa
Read more

Space Exploration and Extraterrestrial Activities

-
Image
Introduction   Space exploration is a way to collect data by sending spaceships, and satellites to space. It sounds very imaginative and sci–fi but with advanced technology and intelligent brains, it has been possible to travel beyond Earth. Humans have always been explorers, nomads, and curious creatures so no doubt that we also figured out a way to reach space and explore there. Space exploration has been an essential aspect of science for years now. It has been gaining renowned respect as the years pass by. New missions and inventions have kept people awestruck and feeling pride for their nations. Organizations like NASA, ISRO, SpaceX, and there are so many more that have been doing spectacular work in this department. History The first ever successful space mission was on October 4, 1957. It was an artificial satellite designed to orbit Earth, called Sputnik. Sputnik was launched by U.S.S.R. (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic). This event took place during the cold war and tho
Read more