International Museum Expo

International Museum Expo

News: Recently, PM Modi inaugurated the International Museum Expo 2023 in New Delhi to celebrate the 47th International Museum Day (IMD).

Background:
 India will have the world’s largest museum, Yuge Yugeen Bharat, that will capture 5,000 years of India’s history.
 2023 theme – “Museums, Sustainability and Well Being”

About:
 IMD is observed on 18th May every year to raise awareness about museums. The day was instituted in 1977 by the International Council of Museum.
 ICOM is a membership association and a non-governmental organisation that establishes professional and ethical standards for museum activities. It is the only global organisation in the museum field. HQ - Paris, France.
 The ICOM Red Lists of Cultural Objects at Risk are practical tools to curb the illegal traffic of cultural objects.

Key Highlights of Expo:
 The Prime Minister unveiled the Mascot of the International Museum Expo, the Graphic Novel – A Day at the Museum, the Directory of Indian Museums, the Pocket Map of Kartavya Path, and Museum Cards.
 The Mascot of the International Museum Expo is a contemporized version of the Dancing Girl made of wood in the Chennapatnam art style.
 The Prime Minister also highlighted the significance of museums in preserving history, promoting sustainability, and fostering a sense of well-being.
 The challenges of smuggling and appropriation of artefacts, particularly for countries with ancient cultures like India, have been acknowledged.
 Efforts are being made to recover and repatriate stolen artefacts, resulting in the retrieval of over 240 ancient items in the past nine years.
 Examples: 18th-Century Annapurna statue stolen from Banaras (recently returned from Canada), the 12th-Century statue of Mahishasur Mardini stolen from Gujarat (returned by New York’s Met Museum in 2018), and the idols of Nataraja built during the Chola Empire.

Who administers museums in India?
 Not all museums are administered by the Ministry of Culture. Some are run independently under a Board of Trustees.
 Notable museums in India - National Museum, New Delhi; National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru; Victoria Memorial Hall, Kolkata; Asiatic Society, Kolkata; National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi.