With the ambitious Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum (YYBM) taking shape in the iconic north and south blocks on Raisina Hill, the government is also looking to modernise the National Museum in New Delhi and refurbish museums under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), across the country.
Speaking at a Vendor Development Programme for YYBM in Delhi on Monday, Ministry of Culture, Secretary Vivek Aggarwal said the proposed museum would be only part of a much larger exercise to upgrade the country’s cultural institutions and introduce new technology and galleries to existing museums.
“We are not only looking at the development of Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum. You can look at the entire spectrum of cultural institutions within the country,” Aggarwal said.
The secretary further pointed out that the ASI has 54 site museums, many of which require refurbishment and redevelopment. “This will be a journey which will also have an impact on these institutions," he said.
"We have six of our own museums, which are large including Indian Museum and Victoria Memorial Hall in Kolkata, Allahabad Museum and our galleries of modern art, where we really need new galleries to be curated which would require new technology,” Aggarwal added.
The premier institution for modern art under the ministry is the National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) in New Delhi. Regional branches are operational in Bengaluru and Mumbai.
Aggarwal also mentioned upcoming museums in Bihar and Gujarat, as well as another on temple architecture in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. “We have new galleries being curated in the Indian Museum in Kolkata; we are looking at modernisation of our National Museum in Delhi. We are looking at doing all our ASI museums. So it's a great opportunity for you to come and invest in India,” he said.
The two-day Vendor Development Programme is a platform to bring together leading manufacturers, suppliers, specialists and innovators to explore opportunities in the making of one of the world’s most significant museums.
The initiative is to encourage collaboration and contribution to the transformation of the North and South Blocks into YYBM. During the event, the manufacturers, including international vendors and developers, will make presentations about their products.
“We are also looking at building partnerships and building structures which can not only sustain the development of this cultural institution but also can lead to a change in the overall museum industry and museumology in the country…," Aggarwal said.
"It is an opportunity not only to create an institution in India and also create multiple institutions following this institution within the country, but also to become a guiding light and a manufacturing hub for the museums of the future in the entire Global South,” said Aggrawal.
