The detailed history of museums has not been attempted much in India, but I had an inkling that such a detailed study may throw considerable light on development of the museum as an institution in our country. I also felt that the Madras Museum, which was in its 15th decade at that time, could be an ideal starting point for such a study because it had been carefully groomed through the years of its existence to attain an eminent position in its field. The first award from the NTICVA to me was meant to carry out such a study of the first gfive decades of the Madras Museum.
