New Delhi, May 18 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said his government has given priority to preserving the country’s heritage, even as he regrets that not enough efforts have been made in this direction since independence.

Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the International Museum Exhibition 2023 at Pragati Maidan here, Modi also flagged up the issue of smuggling of ancient Indian art and antiquities, and as India’s pride in the world grows, various countries have now started repatriating items belonging to Indians. tradition.

Modi said 10 special museums are being built to immortalize the contribution of the tribal community in the country’s freedom struggle.

The country’s written and unwritten heritage was destroyed as a result of long slavery, Modi noted.

He emphasized that this is not only a loss for India but also a loss for the entire world.

“Unfortunately, the efforts that should have been taken after independence to preserve our heritage have not been made,” he said.

He also urged people to take preservation of historical objects as their norm.

“For example, every house should create a family museum where they preserve the belongings of their ancestors and elders. Schools and institutions should create their own museums,” he said.

On the occasion, Modi also unveiled the logo of the International Museum Exhibition, a graphic novel “A Day in a Museum”, a directory of Indian museums, a pocket map of the Kartavya Path and museum cards.

The symbol of the International Museum Exhibition is a contemporary form of a dancing girl made of wood in the Chennapatnam art style.

The graphic novel depicts a group of children visiting the National Museum, where they learn about the various career opportunities available at the museum.

A pocket map of Kartavya Path highlights various cultural sites and institutions and also shows the history of the iconic path.

Museum Cards is a collection of 75 cards with illustrated facades of iconic museums across the country and is an innovative way to introduce museums to children of all ages and each card contains brief information about the museums.

The exhibition is being organized as part of the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to celebrate the 47th International Museum Day (IMD), an official statement said.

The IMD theme for this year is “Museums, Sustainability and Wellbeing”.

The exhibition is designed to initiate a holistic dialogue on museums with professionals to enable them to evolve into cultural hubs that play an important role in India’s cultural diplomacy.

During the event, Modi also inaugurated a virtual tour of the upcoming National Museum in North Block and South Block. PTI KND ASK SZM DV DV