On 9 and 10 September, Bharat hosted the G20 leaders summit in the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. At the summit venue, the Ministry of Culture showcased a unique international project, ‘Culture Corridor- G20 Digital Museum’ which was unveiled on the 9th of September, the first day of the leaders summit.
An official statement said, “This project is based on India’s G20 theme ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and the Culture Working Group’s (CWG) hallmark campaign ‘Culture Unites All.”
As per the official statement, the culture corridor represented and celebrated the shared heritage of G20 members and invitee countries. The corridor incorporated iconic and notable cultural objects and the heritage of the G20 members and nine invitee countries.
During the course of the event, several Iconic art objects both in physical and digital forms were displayed in this curated temporary ‘art corridor’ which was established especially for the grand occasion.
At the outset, the venue, Bharat Mandapam, showcased a grand statue of Natraj, Shhank (Conch Shell), Surya Dwar, and Pragati Chakra (Wheel of Prosperity) among others.
दिल्ली के प्रगति मैदान में हो रहे #G20Summit के लिए निर्मित भव्य 'भारत मंडपम' में नटराज की प्रतिमा से लेकर प्रगति चक्र तक को प्रदर्शित किया गया है। यह महामंडपम हमारे महान सांस्कृतिक और ऐतिहासिक विरासतों को दर्शाता है।#AmritMahotsav #CultureUnitesAll #G20India2023 pic.twitter.com/P4PTs7QSUB
— Ministry of Culture (@MinOfCultureGoI) September 9, 2023
Following the theme “Culture Unite All”, the Mandapam celebrated the rich cultural heritage of Indian states, for example – Silver filigree artefacts represented Telangana, there was colourful jewellery from Nagaland and Eri – the Millenium Silk from Assam at the crafts bazaar to celebrate the rich and diverse heritage of India.
𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗮 @#G20
— G Kishan Reddy (@kishanreddybjp) September 9, 2023
Silver filigree artifacts from Karimnagar, Telangana found pride of place at the craft expo at #G20 Summit.
These silver badges will adorn the delegates representing the #G20 nations at the summit.#G20India @g20org pic.twitter.com/MjXAvN82Ha
From colourful jewellery of Nagaland to Eri – the Millenium Silk from Assam, #CraftsBazaar at #G20Summit celebrates the rich and diverse heritage of India🇮🇳
— Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (@MIB_India) September 10, 2023
📽️Have a glimpse at the crafts from #NorthEast displayed at #G20SummitDelhi! #G20India #G20India2023 #G20Bharat… pic.twitter.com/Nbo2uYSBC4
Similarly, there were many artefacts that celebrated the cherished democratic values throughout Bhartiya civilisation and throughout the world. These included artefacts like Rig Veda Manuscripts, a copy of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the citizen National Assembly from France; a copy of charters of freedom from the USA, and a Poster of the first democratic general election Republic of Korea.
As India prepares to welcome world leaders for the historic #G20Summit, the cultural corridor at #BharatMandapam stands as a testament to global heritage and a celebration of the belief in #VasudhaivaKutumbakam
— Ministry of Culture (@MinOfCultureGoI) September 9, 2023
Witness this remarkable display#CultureUnitesAll #G20Summit2023 pic.twitter.com/6Y96ZK1LEP
As per the theme, ‘Culture Unites All’, the special museum included iconic artefacts of other G20 or invitee nations as well. These include ‘Batik Sarong Textiles from Indonesia, a Model of Brazil’s National Parliament, Poncho from Argentina, miniature replica models of the Volkswagen Old Beetle from Germany, a bronze statue of Apollo Belvedere from Italy, and Nendoroid Hastune Miku from Japan among others.
To celebrate India’s high civilisational legacy, the Bharat Mandapam showcased Panini’s grammar treatise ‘Ashtadhyayi’, the Rig Veda inscription, and digital images of Bhimbhetka cave paintings in Madhya Pradesh which dates back to approximately 30,000 years.
Panini’s Ashtadhyayi
The Ashtadhyayi manuscript is an iconic grammar treatise that was composed in the 5th-6th century BCE by the celebrated grammarian Panini.
The text has eight chapters and 4,000 sutras, and it talks about the science of Vedic phonetics and grammar. The grammar in Ashtadhyayi has been compared to the Turing machine which is said to be an idealised mathematical model that reduces the logical structure of any computing device to its essentials.
As per the official statement, by allowing elements of earlier rules to recur subsequently, Panini anticipated the idea of computer programs by over 2,500 years.
Historian A.L. Basham underlined the text’s significance in the following words– “Panini’s grammar is one of the greatest intellectual achievements of any ancient civilisation, and the most detailed and scientific grammar composed before the 19th century in any part of the world.”
The summit also brought the country’s architectural heritage to the spotlight by the replica of the majestic Konark Wheel and the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar.
It was a pleasure to host the Heads of delegations of G20 nations, Guest countries and International Organisations at the magnificent Bharat Mandapam for the G20 Summit Gala Dinner. pic.twitter.com/QKPdHVS6LU
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) September 9, 2023
Evidently, on Saturday night (9th September) President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the guests for the ceremonial dinner hosted for various heads of state and other world leaders and their spouses at the Bharat Mandapam venue. The background at the site where the President greeted the guests had a replica of the ancient Nalanda University, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Bihar.
Whereas, the Konark wheel replica served as the backdrop for the place where Prime Minister Narendra Modi warmly received the arriving leaders and marked the beginning of the G20 Summit.
