G20 museum project likely to be unveiled during Leaders Summit

New Delhi: A G20 Digital Museum -- 'Culture Corridor' - which will have at least one key artefact or its digital replica from all member nations and the nine guest countries has been envisioned by India in its power as the chair of the influential grouping, and the project is likely to be unveiled during the Leaders Summit in September, sources said on Tuesday.

Digital replicas of Mona Lisa, the 16th century masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci which is hung at the Louvre Museum in Paris, and also of 'Girl With a Pearl Earring', the famed oil painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer, which is kept at a museum in the Netherlands are likely to be part of the novel 'phygital' museum, they said.

A 'phygital' museum refers to the idea of having a museum that will have both physical and digital components.

At the recently-concluded G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting in Varanasi, delegates were enthralled by the performance of a special G20 orchestra which mounted a performance titled 'Sur Vasudha'.

With the main Summit event close by, the Culture Ministry is working on several other projects as part of G20 engagements, which include a 'G20 Digital Museum - Culture Corridor’, and a 'G20 Anthology of Poems - Under the Same Sky'.

The Culture Corridor project is likely to be unveiled during the G20 Leaders Summit slated to take place on September 9-10, the sources said.

A senior official had recently said that the G20 museum was in a "very early phase of the project, and we are trying to source at least one key artefact from all member nations and the nine guest countries." "So, we have requested these 28 countries if they can share at least one artefact or antiquity from their side which represents the culture of those countries for the G20. And, if that cannot be shared, then at least a digital replica can be shared, which can be showcased in the 'digital corridor' where cultural richness of the world can be portrayed," the official had said.

The G20, or Group of 20, is an intergovernmental forum of the world’s major developed and developing economies. India currently holds the rotating presidency of the multinational group.

G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkiye, the UK, the US, and the European Union (EU).

"We are also seeking poems from G20 member nations as part of the G20 Anthology of Poems project," the official had said.

At the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting and other meetings, another official source said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Virasat Bhi, Vikas Bhi' was "showcased wonderfully" during these meetings.

"Heritage is a vital asset for economic growth and diversification," Modi had said in his video address at the G20 Culture Ministers' Meeting and added that India's mantra is 'Virasat Bhi, Vikas Bhi'.

A ministerial Outcome Document and Chair's Summary -- 'Kashi Culture Pathway' was issued at the end of the meeting held on August 26.

Sources said the 'Global South' was included in the 'Kashi Culture Pathway', a term which was not included in any of the documents released heretofore in any of the meetings held earlier.