PM inaugurates International Museum Expo 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his government has prioritised preserving the country’s heritage, even as he lamented that enough efforts were not made in this direction post-Independence.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the International Museum Expo 2023 at Pragati Maidan here, Modi also flagged the issue of trafficking of ancient Indian art and antiques and said that with India’s increasing prestige in the world, various countries have now started returning things belonging to Indian heritage.

Modi said 10 special museums are being built to immortalise the contribution of the tribal community in the country’s freedom struggle.

Underlining that a lot of the heritage of the land was lost during the period of slavery which lasted for hundreds of years when ancient manuscripts and libraries were burnt to the ground, the Prime Minister emphasized that this was not just a loss to India but the heritage of the entire world.

He lamented the lack of efforts after independence towards reviving and preserving the long-lost heritage of the land where the lack of awareness among citizens created an even bigger impact.

PM Modi informed that the government is running a special campaign to conserve local and rural museums along with the heritage of every state and segment of society.

“The development of ten special museums is underway to immortalize the contributions of the tribal communities in India’s freedom struggle, which will be one of the most unique initiatives in the world to provide a glimpse of tribal diversity,” he said.

He also suggested that museums should become active participants in conserving the resources for the coming generations. “Museums can conserve and present the signs of many calamities that the earth has faced, and presentation of the changing face of the earth can also be done,” he said.

Mentioning the gastronomic section of the Expo, the Prime Minister talked about the growing profile of Ayurveda and Shree Anna Millets due to India’s efforts. He suggested that new museums can come up about the journey of Shree Anna and other grains.

During the event, Modi also unveiled the mascot of the International Museum Expo, a graphic novel titled “A Day at the Museum”, a directory of Indian museums, a pocket map of the Kartavya Path, and museum cards.

The mascot of the International Museum Expo is a contemporised version of the dancing girl made of wood in the Chennapatnam art style.

The graphic novel portrays a group of children visiting the National Museum where they learn about different career opportunities that are available at the museum.

The pocket map of the Kartavya Path highlights various cultural spaces and institutions and also traces the history of the iconic pathway.

Addressing the International Museum Expo 2023. It is a wonderful platform to showcase our heritage and vibrant culture. https://t.co/Tmg9HHNozY

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 18, 2023

The Museums cards are a set of 75 cards with illustrated facades of iconic museums across the country, and is an innovative way to introduce museums to people of all ages and each card holds brief information of museums.

The expo is designed to initiate a holistic conversation on museums with professionals to enable these to evolve as cultural centres that play a pivotal role in India’s cultural diplomacy, it said.

During the programme, Modi also inaugurated a virtual walkthrough of the upcoming national museum at North Block and South Block.

The expo is being organized as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav to celebrate the 47th International Museum Day. The IMD theme for this year is ‘Museums, Sustainability and Well Being’. The Museum Expo is designed to initiate a holistic conversation on Museums with museum professionals to enable them to evolve as cultural centres that play a pivotal role in India’s cultural diplomacy.

With inputs from agencies.

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