NEW DELHI: ‘Roots and Routes’, an exhibition being organised for the spouses of heads of G20 countries at the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) will be a rare occasion when the best of the collection belonging to different museums or organisations in the country will be exhibited under one roof.
Assortment of artefacts to be displayed for the visiting dignitaries includes 4,000-year-old chariot recovered during excavation in Bhagphat’s Sanauli, Gandhara gold ornaments from Taxila, 225-year-old lithograph on extinct musical instruments, and about a century old glass negatives of heritage sites such as Amravati and Ajanta caves.
This is the first time the collection of 400 rare antiquities sourced from different government institutions will be available at one location, said officials. The exhibition will be opened to the public after the G20 event. The paintings are from the Indian Museum, Kolkata and the State Museum (Mathura). Manuscripts have been brought from the Asiatic Society and National Library (Kolkata) and Gadhara jewellery belongs to the National Museum in Delhi and pieces of Stupa (Buddhist commemorative monument) are of Amravati.
“The selection of artefacts was carefully undertaken with a focus on historical significance, artistic merit and thematic relevance. The 2000-year-old Gadhara jewellery has been taken out from the National Museum for the first time,” officials said.
The artefacts are sourced from various central government museums and galleries. What makes this exhibition unique is that it brings together original works from these repositories, offering a rare opportunity to view a diverse collection of Indian art and antiquities in one place. The exhibition also comprises a gallery on shared traditions with G20 members and invitee countries, where pieces of textiles are on display. The entire exposition is divided into themes such as Shringar (emotion of love), Sangeet (music) and Prakriti (nature).
The Ministry of Culture fetched 19 Gandhara sculptures from the Chandigarh museum which were transported from Lahore after independence, said officials. The glass negatives have been taken from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The heritage sites of Amravati and Ajanta will be showcased through 180-degree immersive screens. “The exhibition will open with the visit of dignitaries from September 9 and will remain for the public for three months,” the official said.