Metaphysics of maps in New Delhi

Getting from point  A to point B—our everyday commute struggle—may have been rendered easy by Google Maps Lady’s metallic voice that says, “At 200 metres, turn left.” But cartography, or the science of map-making, is at its core about pinning our location vis-à-vis a larger geography. And as the Cosmology to Cartography exhibition, at the National Museum in New Delhi, shows, that exploration extended in an earlier time to the philosophical realm of defining mankind’s place in the universe. The exhibition, curated by Dr Vivek Nanda and Dr Alex Johnson, traces the evo­lution of cartography, with focus on maps relating to India. It showcases over 70 maps from the Hyderabad-based Kalakriti Archive, which were collected by Prshant Lahoti over a decade.

What: Cosmology to Cartography exhibition
When: On until October 11; closed on Mondays
Where: National Museum in New Delhi
Contact: nationalmuseumindia.gov.in