Exhibitions at G-20 venue to showcase India’s culture, art and technological advancements

Digital museum will throw light on heritage of member nations and invitee countries

An artisan making bangles at an exhibition at the G-20 Summit venue at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi on Friday. | Photo Credit: ANI

Bharat Mandapam, the venue for the G-20 Summit, will host a number of exhibitions showcasing India’s unique cultural heritage, art and crafts, as well as technological advancements.

The ‘Culture Corridor-G20 Digital Museum’ will exhibit the shared heritage of G-20 member nations and invitee countries. A copy of the Magna Carta, the United Kingdom’s famous charter of rights, a 15th-century bronze statue of Belvedere Apollo from Italy and an 18th-century Fahua lidded jar from China would be among some of the objects of cultural significance on display.

The Crafts Bazaar at the G-20 Summit venue in New Delhi on September 8, 2023. | Photo Credit: PTI

There will also be a digital museum for which France has shared the iconic painting ‘Mona Lisa’, Germany the ‘Gutenberg’s Bible’ and Mexico a statue of the deity ‘Coatlicue’’.

Envisioned as a legacy project, the Culture Corridor-G20 Digital Museum will create a “museum in the making”.

Submissions were requested from G-20 countries and nine guest nations in five categories: object of cultural significance (as a physical display), iconic cultural masterpiece (as a digital display), intangible cultural heritage (digital display), natural heritage (digital display), and an artefact related to democratic practices (physical or digital display).

The exhibition will also showcase a 12-foot digital cube which will display the iconic masterpieces through anamorphic content. The cube will also celebrate the objects related to democratic practices from time immemorial.

India’s contribution would be the ancient text Panini’s Ashtadhyayi, parts of the Rig Veda, and in the national heritage category, the Himalayas.

The digital exhibition at the venue of the G-20 Summit in New Delhi on September 8, 2023. | Photo Credit: ANI

The ‘Digital India Experience Zone’, been set up in halls 4 and 14, will offer visitors a glimpse into the technological advancements being implemented by India.

Key initiatives of the Digital India programme such as Aadhaar, DigiLocker, UPI, eSanjeevani, DIKSHA, Bhashini, ONDC, Ask GITA, would be on display, sources said.

This zone will also include MyGov, CoWIN, UMANG, JanDhan, e NAM, GSTN, FastTag and other such initiatives. Also on display would be the ‘RBI’s Innovation Pavilion’ showcasing cutting-edge financial technologies and their potential to revolutionise the financial landscape.

Hall number 3 will have the ‘Crafts Bazaar’ exhibiting handicraft products from different parts of India with a focus on ‘One District One Product’ and GI-tagged items.

Delegates will get a unique opportunity to purchase locally sourced products as well.

Around 30 States and Union Territories as well as bodies like the Khadi Village and Industries Commission, and TRIFED will participate in the Crafts Bazaar.