Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the international museum expo at the national Capital.
He also unveiled the plan for one of the world’s largest museums, Yuge Yugeen Bharat, which will capture 5,000 years of India’s history and replace the existing one.
“When we enter a museum, we engage with the past and the museum presents fact and evidence-based reality and it provides inspiration from the past and also gives a sense of duty towards the future,” PM Modi said at the event, adding that the theme of the expo ‘sustainability and wellbeing’ highlights the priorities of present circumstances.
The PM underlined the loss of India’s heritage during the period of slavery which lasted for hundreds of years.
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He said that many ancient manuscripts and libraries were burnt to the ground at the time.
“This is not just a loss for India, but for the world,” PM Modi said.
The PM added that for the first time, the museum will also commemorate tribal freedom fighters.
He highlighted the contributions of Mahatma Gandhi, BR Ambedkar and Vallabhbhai Patel.
“The redevelopment of Mahaparinirvana Sthal of Dr BR Ambedkar into a national memorial at 5, Alipore Road in Delhi (is underway)… along with the development of Panch Teerth related to his life, in Mhow where he was born, in London where he lived, in Nagpur where he took initiation, and the Chaitya Bhoomi in Mumbai where his Samadhi exists today,” he said.
He also cited examples of museums at Patel’s Statue of Unity, Jallianwala Bagh in Punjab, Govind Singh’s memorial in Gujarat, the Man Mahal Museum in Varanasi and the Museum of Christian Art in Goa.
“It is only when a country embraces its legacy that new opportunities to connect with likeminded cultures across the world emerge,” PM Modi said.
“The holy relics of Lord Buddha, which were conserved over the generations, are now uniting followers of Lord Buddha all over the world. We also sent four holy relics to Mongolia on the last Buddha Poornima and received holy relics from Sri Lanka in Kushinagar. Similarly, the legacy of St. Ketevan of Goa is safe with India and generated immense remembered the enthusiasm in Georgia when the relics were sent there. Our heritage can become the harbinger of world unity,” he said.
The PM added that the museums will also offer a gastronomic experience, capturing years of India’s history of Ayurveda and millets that are now turning into a global movement.
“Museums should become active participants in conserving the resources for the coming generations,” PM Modi said.
PM Modi also stressed that in the last nine years, the government had recovered nearly 240 artifacts that belonged to India, whereas the earlier governments managed to recover only 20.
“We have to be grounded in the past but work for the future,” he said.
“We have to honour our legacy, as we work to create a better and brighter future”, he said.