Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Govt gears up to unveil PMs’ museum
NEW DELHI: The prime ministers’ museum at Teen Murti Bhawan is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar on April 14, officials familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
“The Pradhan Mantri Sangrahalaya will be inaugurated on April 14,” a government official said on the condition of anonymity.
“It has been developed to create awareness about all Prime Ministers of India.”
The new museum, spread over 10,491 square metres, is equipped with latest technologies such as holograms, augmented reality, interactive kiosks and screens, kinetic sculptures, and smartphone applications, the official said.
Termed a unique blend of the old and the new, the museum has a logo that shows hands of the people of India holding up a chakra, symbolising the nation and its vibrant democracy, the official added.
The museum recognises the “contribution of all Prime Ministers irrespective of their ideology or tenure in office”, the official said.
The museum will be a “seamless blend of the old and the new, and includes the erstwhile Nehru Museum building, designated as Block I, which now has a completely updated, technologically advanced display on the life and contribution of Jawaharlal Nehru”, India’s first Prime Minister, the official said.
It will capture events from
India’s freedom struggle and the making of the Constitution. “The sangrahalaya (museum) goes on to tell the story of how our Prime Ministers navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured the allround progress of the country,” the official said.
Recognition of the contribution of the Prime Ministers has been done a completely nonpartisan manner, the government has stressed.
“The design of the museum building is inspired by the story of rising India, shaped and moulded at the hands of its leaders. The design incorporates sustainable and energy conservation practices. No tree has been felled or transplanted,” the official said.
The information and artefacts displayed have been collected through institutions such as Doordarshan, Film Division, Sansad TV, defence ministry, media houses and the treasury of the foreign ministry where gifts received in honour of our leaders and country are kept, the official said.
“Families were also contacted for valuable information about the former Prime Ministers. The content has been acquired on perpetual license in most cases,” the official said.
“Appropriate use of archives (collected works and other literary works, important correspondences), some personal items, gifts and memorabilia, speeches of Prime Ministers and anecdotal representation of ideologies and different aspects of the lives of Prime Ministers have been reflected in a thematic format,” he added.
The sangrahalaya (museum) goes on to tell the story of how our Prime Ministers navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured the all-round progress of the country
GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL