PM Modi to inaugurate mega museum expo on May 18, unveil 'virtual walkthrough' of upcoming museum at North, South Blocks

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate a three-day international museum exposition and unveil a "virtual walkthrough" of the upcoming national museum at the British-era North and South Blocks here on Thursday.

The International Museum Expo will be held at the Pragati Maidan from May 18-20 as part of the second phase of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, and its inauguration will coincide with the International Museum Day.

The scale of participation is huge, and about 1,200 museums are slated to take part in its various segments, officials said.

Three exhibitions have been planned as part of the event, including of 75 "star objects" -- artefacts drawn from illustrious collections of over 25 museums and institutions across India; exhibitions of covers of books and publications, including from pre-Independence era and an exhibition of Ragamala Series.

"These 75 star objects include a mix of original physical artefacts, replica of original artefacts and digital versions sent by some museums which could not send physical ones for the expo," a senior official told PTI on Wednesday.

Museums are taking part from India and various other countries through multiple segments like exhibitions, masterclasses, techno-mela, among others.

Victoria & Albert Museum, London; Hopp Museum of Budapest, Pushkin Museum of Russia, and a museum from Abu Dhabi are the participants among the international museums, the official said.

From India, the National Museum, New Delhi; Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, Mumbai; Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya, Bhopal, and museums from other parts of the country, are also slated to take part in the expo, officials said.

The expo is designed to initiate a holistic conversation on museums with professionals to enable these to evolve as cultural centres that play a pivotal role in India's cultural diplomacy, the PMO said on Tuesday.

During the opening ceremony, the prime minister will also unveil the mascot of the expo -- an image of the prehistoric dancing girl (found from Mohenjo-daro), which will be "stylised in Channapatna toys form", a graphic novel on museum, a directory of Indian museums, a pocket map of Kartavya Path, and a deck of 75 cards on various museums of India.

The deck includes details on museums such as Salar Jung Museum of Hyderabad; Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata; Allahabad Museum and Patna Museum, the official said.

During the event, he will also launch a "virtual walkthrough" providing a glimpse into what will be the upcoming National Museum at North Block and South Block, to be called Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum.

A 12-level app-based video game 'Indian Museum Tycoon' will also be launched on the day of the inauguration, and it will be available on both Android and iOS platforms.

The Directory of Museums in India consists of more than 1,200 museums located across the country, and has been compiled by the National Museum Institute.

The pocket map of Kartavya Path will have information on the various State House or Bhawans like Kota House and Jaipur House which were built during the British era around India Gate, and cultural spaces and ministry of culture's institutions, such as the National Museum and the National Archives of India, the officials said.

A handbook on conservation, a pictorial bibliography on museums, will also be released during the expo, a senior official had earlier said.

There will be masterclasses and thematic panel discussions and an oral storytelling session -- 'Dastangoi', 'Dastaan-e-Ajaib'.

Joint Secretary in Ministry of Culture, Mugdha Sinha had earlier said that participants from the UK, the US, France and Russia, among other countries, are slated to take part in the expo, besides culture and tourism ministers from various parts of the country.