NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, May 18, inaugurated the international museum expo at the national Capital today.

At the opening of the International Museum Expo 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that museums are more than just destinations for young people to visit; they also present chances for employment and can serve as a conduit for cross-cultural dialogue. 

As a part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the International Museum Expo was held to commemorate the 47th International Museum Day (IMD). 'Museums, Sustainability, and Well-Being' is the theme for this year.

The Prime Minister said, "When we visit a museum, we feel as though we are meeting our past. Things we observe in a museum are supported by facts and evidence.

The government  is constantly constructing cultural infrastructure and preserving the nation's rich cultural history. He claimed that creating regional and rural museums has received the most attention. "Today's event will mark a significant turning point for Indian museums. Our children no longer merely attend museums as tourist destinations. They offer a chance for a career. They can serve as a conduit for cross-cultural communication, he said.

During the time of slavery, "many of our manuscripts and libraries were burned; it was a loss not only to India but to the entire world and to all of mankind," he said. "At the Amrit Mahotsav, we are creating new cultural infrastructure in addition to conserving India's past. "There is a heritage of thousands of years and there is also the history of the freedom struggle in these efforts of the country," he said.

The prime minister further stated, "We are constructing 10 unique museums to memorialise the role played by our tribal community in the war for liberation. A thorough glimpse of tribal diversity will be witnessed thanks to this truly unique project in the entire planet. He said, the country's heritage was not properly preserved after Independence, which resulted in a lack of awareness among the populace.

"Unfortunately, once we gained independence, the efforts that should have been taken to protect our past could not be done, and the lack of public awareness of the heritage increased even more... The importance of having pride in our ancestry has been stated, according to PM Modi.

"We have constructed a PM museum in Delhi that honours the journey and contributions of each former Indian prime minister. People from all over the nation are visiting the PM Museum today to see India's post-independence development trajectory, He said.

Speaking about The Museum Expo, it aims to engage museum experts in a comprehensive discussion on museums so they can develop into important cultural hubs for India's cultural diplomacy. A Day at the Museum, a graphic novel, the Directory of Indian Museums, a pocket map of the Kartavya Path, and museum cards have also been unveiled by the Prime Minister.

The International Museum Expo's mascot is a modernised rendition of the dancing girl created from wood in the Chennapatnam art form. PM Modi also launched a virtual tour of the planned National Museum in the North and South Blocks during the presentation. The Museum will highlight and showcase the India's rich civilizational culture, historical events, personalities, ideas, achievements and more.

International Museum Day: An awareness about the importance of museums