The need for discussing the curator's responsibility for the preservation and storage of museum objects is almost invariably questioned. In November 1980, for example, when the All‐India Museums Conference devoted to the theme ‘Curatorial Responsibilities for the Preservation and Storage of Museum Objects’ was being organized at Lucknow by the Museums Association of India, it was asked why this subject had been chosen. Since it was recognized by everyone that preservation was a fundamental responsibility of a museum and that the principles involved were clear and simple, why once again remind the curator of his duty? My simple answer was based on what the critical visitor will actually see in museums in India and indeed the whole of