Mega Museum in city soon

The government will set up two "mega museums," showcasing India's history and cultural heritage, to commemorate 50 years of the Republic.

The multi-crore project, proposed by the culture ministry, has been cleared by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. A formal announcement of the project was made by culture minister Ananth Kumar on Tuesday.

The mega museums are to be set up in two cities: Ahmedabad and, of course, Bangalore, which happens to be the minister's constituency and favourite city.

Another major project in the offing: the ministry is planning to set up a maritime museum at Dwarka - the abode of Lord Krishna according to Hindu mythology - to promote the "submerged city" as a tourist destination. A project proposal for the museum has already been prepared, and a culture ministry team is said to be leaving for Dwarka soon for an on-the-spot assessment.

According to the proposal, the submerged part of Dwarka would be conserved and promoted as a major tourist destination, while the portable antiquities will be displayed in the maritime museum.

"Museums are the symbols of the cultural heritage of a country. They are in fact channels of mass communication with a difference. This is because they offer a unique experience as they bring people in touch with the real and the original while other communication media can only replicate," Mr Kumar said at a function at the National Museum in New Delhi. "Today, the challenge before us is the preservation of this cultural heritage which is threatened by the ravages of time and by external cultural influences. While this challenge can be met through only a concerted effort from all sections of our society and community, it is the scholars and experts who will have to be on the vanguard of this conservation movement," Mr Kumar said. According to sources in the culture ministry, the government will also invite private investment for the project, given its size. The museums, to be called Bharat Darshan, will be spread over 600-1,000 acres. The museums, besides recreating the "entire cultural heritage," will feature Indian time machine called Yugayatri, depicting the history of the country and the scientific advancements made by it. Mr Kumar said that the government would consider upgradation of the National Institute of Archaeology to university status and its subsequent merger with the National Museum Institute. "It should become a vital resource centre for providing the correct tools and inputs to our cultural administrators, policy managers and experts," he said. Bharat Darshan is the second major project being announced by the culture ministry ever since the BJP-let government returned to power last October. The other was the Vande Mataram programme, which began on the New Year and wil conclude on January 12, the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. This countrywide programme is aimed at inculcating patriotic values in the youth and is being coordinated by the NCC, NSS and the Nehru Yuva Kendra.

Republished from Asian Age