Delhi’s Air Force Museum and National Rail Museum were on actor Gul Panag’s “radar” for quite some time. Accompanied by her son Nihal, she recently had a field day touring the Capital, and reveals that the Delhi Zoo is on her list next.
“I’ve been to the Air Force Museum in Delhi, 15 years go,” says actor Gul Panag who recently visited the Air Force Museum and the National Rail Museum, with her three and a half years old son, Nihal. And after her dilli darshan, Panag told us how these museums were on her “radar” for quite some time now.
“It’s been beautifully renovated and kept. We had a great time! I had not visited the Rail Museum (earlier). It has a fantastic collection of locomotives, both heritage and modern ones. You can walk around the exhibits, or take a joy train… there’s also a toy train to get around. It’s really nice. And I can’t wait for the weather to get better so we can go to the Zoo,” says the 42-year-old actor.
Gul Panag took a joy ride with her son Nihal, on her recent visit to the National Rail Museum in Delhi. (Photo: Gulpanag/Instagram)
Recently seen in Paatal Lok (2020) and The Family Man (2019) web series, Panag is in love with the Capital and its museums. She adds: “Delhi is great that way (with respect to culture). There are lots of outdoor spaces. That’s the beauty of Delhi! There’s so much to do outdoors. My brother is in south Delhi, and in-laws are in Noida, so we come here frequently. Last time I was here, we went to the Delhi Zoo just before the second wave and the lockdown. It was early April, and very hot. (This time) Nihal was very interested in seeing planes. He has a lot of planes at home, and knows that both his parents are pilots. He also sits on my lap when I fly the simulator.”
Since children have been mostly confined indoors due to the pandemic, Panag feels it’s significant to be outdoors, and opines, “A big part of children’s learning happens when they are playing outside, touching, feeling plants, and different textures. We are now surrounded within the four walls with everything man made. Whereas outdoors, one plays in sand, grass and are in touch with natural elements, which is very important for early child development.”
When Panag shared glimpses from their fun filled day at the museum, on Insta, her followers became keen to visit these places, too. “He (Nihal) really enjoyed his day at the Air Force Museum. A lot of people wrote back asking me ‘If it was open for the public’. And whether anybody can go. We have forgotten the lost art of visiting museums… in taking kids to malls, theatres. It’s always been a priority for me to take him outdoors, be it mountains or beaches. While one does that, but in this environment, rather then being in a cinema hall or a mall, I just feel a lot comfortable outdoors,” she signs off.
