PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates International Museum Expo 2023 In Delhi, Unveils Mascot

PM Modi unveiled the mascot of the International Museum Expo (IME) 2023, which is a contemporized version of a bronze statue titled ‘Dancing Girl’.

The mascot is also considered a ‘dwarpal’ (door guardian) inviting people into the expo.

Source : PIB India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated the International Museum Expo (IME) 2023, at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. He also unveiled the mascot of the expo. The new mascot has been inspired by the National Museum’s logo which is a bronze statue titled ‘Dancing Girl’ from the Sindhu Saraswati Sabhyata. The mascot of the International Museum Expo is a contemporized version of the dancing girl made of wood in the Chennapatnam art style. The mascot is also considered a ‘dwarpal’ (door guardian) inviting people into the expo.

VIDEO | PM Modi unveils the mascot of International Museum Expo 2023 at Delhi's Pragati Maidan. pic.twitter.com/h61YZ8Sky7

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 18, 2023

Aside from the mascot there is also a graphic novel which portrays a group of children visiting the National Museum where they learn about different career opportunities that are available at a museum.

PM Modi said his government has prioritised preserving the country's heritage, even as he lamented that enough efforts were not made in this direction post-independence. The long period of slavery also resulted in the destruction of the country's written and unwritten heritage, Modi noted. This is not only India's loss, it is the loss of the whole world, he asserted.

"Unfortunately, the efforts that should have been made post-independence to preserve our heritage, were not made," he said according to the PTI.

VIDEO | "During the era of hundreds of years of slavery, a lot of India's written and unwritten heritage was destroyed. Several manuscripts and libraries were set ablaze during the period of slavery," says PM Modi. pic.twitter.com/4qPUKycdfg

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 18, 2023

While addressing a gathering after inaugurating the International Museum Expo 2023 at Pragati Maidan, Modi also flagged the issue of trafficking of ancient Indian art and antiques, and said that with India's increasing prestige in the world, various countries have now started returning things belonging to Indian heritage.

The prime minister said that 10 special museums are being built to immortalise the contribution of the tribal community in the country's freedom struggle. The audience will also be able to see a pocket map of the Kartavya Path highlighting various cultural spaces and institutions and also traces the history of the iconic pathway.

'Museums cards' are a set of 75 cards with illustrated facades of iconic museums across the country, and is an innovative way to introduce museums to people of all ages and each card holds brief information of museums. The expo is being organised as part of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav' to celebrate the 47th International Museum Day (IMD), according to an official statement.

The IME theme for this year is "museums, sustainability and well-being".

As per PTI, 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.