The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sanghrahalaya (Museum) is currently organising a French exhibition titled “The Dream Of An Inhabitant Of Mogul” at the Premchand Roychand Hall till April 2. Unveiling the unique collection yesterday evening was B G Deshmukh, Former Chief Secretary of State.

This exposition in collaboration with the French Embassy in India, Alliance Française de Bombay and the Musee Jean de la Fontaine, Château-Thierry, France is organised around the compilation of miniature paintings by Imam Bakhsh Lahori, illustrating the ‘Fables of Jean de la Fontaine.’ The Fables of Jean de la Fontaine, written at the end of the 17th C, are in all probability one of the most renowned collections of French poems that are as popular today as they were all those years ago. This display of paintings at the hall comprises of a brilliant collection of French writings accompanied by its English translation alongside, explaining the painting.

Speaking at the inauguration was B G Deshmukh who said, “I am so proud to unveil this unique Indo-French collaboration. This is a part of the centenary celebrations of the museum. There are so many people who are behind this project and I am grateful to each and every one of them for their help. The collection in this exhibition is more than two centuries old and we hope that the public benefits from it. I also hope that citizens would come to visit it. After all it’s their museum.”

History proclaims that, Baron Bastien Félix Feuillet de Counches, a Frenchman, was an art-lover and a collector who wished to illustrate La Fontaine’s fables. As a minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he would delegate French ambassadors abroad on a mission to find the best illustrators for the fables. He found what he was looking for in Imam Bakhsh Lahori, an artist from Punjab. Though they never saw each other, their name got associated in years to come. Lahori never had any access to the text of the fable. It was only the descriptions that were given to him. However, he was familiar with some of the stories since they were very similar to those of Panchatantra and Tutinama. Today, these miniature paintings of the fables by Imam Bakhsh are the most beautiful production of the Lahori School.

Also speaking at the unveiling was Dr Jean-Marie Lafont, the Consul General of France in Mumbai, who stated, “Just like Indian children grow up reading Panchatantra, French kids grow up hearing fables of La Fontaine. I feel privileged to be in one of the finest heritage buildings in Mumbai and even more so to have this exhibition displayed here.”

The Dream Of An Inhabitant Of Mogul will be open for public display at the museum till April 2 at the Premchand Roychand Hall.