Monday, 11 September 2023 | Deepak Jha | New Delhi
Apart from being hailed as a gracious and perfect host to global leaders like US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak among others, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also earned laurels from the dignitaries for creating a G20 ‘culture corridor’ in the resplendent Bharat Mandapam.
The Who’s Who of the political world, were charmed by the nostalgia created by the historic items displayed during the two-day event that concluded on Sunday.
Certified original copies of the US’ Charters of Freedom, a rare copy of the Magna Carta from the UK, a ‘fahua’-lid jar from China and Panini’s grammar treatise Ashtadhyayi, Rig Veda were the historic items displayed as part of the G20 ‘culture corridor’. There were also Bhimbetka cave paintings from Madhya Pradesh, dating back to approximately 30,000 years, on display in digital format.
What really caught the attention of the dignitaries was the G20 Digital Museum where anamorphic digital images of the 16th century Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece Mona Lisa were among the several artefacts on show.
The exhibition of artefacts, both in physical and digital form, was set up on the same floor where the leaders’ meetings took place on Saturday and Sunday. Sources said the dignitaries walked through this corridor while moving in and out of the Summit room.
“India’s G20 presidency theme was ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and with this international project, we walked the talk. We displayed cultural objects from all 20 member nations and nine invited countries as part of our G20 legacy project,” a Ministry of Culture official said.
Sources said the preparations for creating this unique corridor started about six months ago when all the G20 members and invitee countries were requested to make submissions under four categories — physical object of cultural significance, iconic cultural masterpiece in digital format, high-resolution digital content depicting the intangible heritage and natural heritage of each of the countries.
As an exhibition titled ‘Mother of Democracy’ was also being hosted to mark the Summit, a fifth segment was added to the ‘culture corridor’ project in which an “ancient artefact related to democratic practices” in physical or digital format was sought from each G20 member and invited country. At the end of the landmark Summit, world leaders hailed Modi for his “decisive leadership” and for championing the voice of the Global South. They also hailed India’s hospitality and praised the Prime Minister for presiding over a successful Summit, while noting that the country’s message of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ resonated strongly with all the delegates.
“Under India’s leadership, we have demonstrated that we can come together, at a time when it really matters. When you walk around in ‘Bharat Mandapam’ and see the displays, we can see what PM Modi, the digital initiative and technology can do — delivering service to people in remote corners of our nations,” a source quoted British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as saying at one of the meetings.
While Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida hailed Modi for providing “great leadership” to the G20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called for strengthening G20 cooperation based on “the foundation created by the Indian presidency”, sources said.
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan thanked the Prime Minister Modi for his hospitality and hoped that the Summit would be a blessing for “the only world we have”.
Praising the G20 theme of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said it upholds the value of all lives and the importance of working together for a better future. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva thanked the Prime Minister Modi and the Indian people for their competence in organising this event. “I was touched emotionally today when I went to pay homage to dear (Mahatma) Gandhi. In my political life, Gandhi has great meaning. Non-violence is a principle I follow,” he said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that “people will remember us for what we accomplish” and Prime Minister Modi, “you have gathered us here to discuss on ‘One Future’ is very important”.
The Mexican representative praised the “wonderful arrangement” for G20 while the Oman’s representative lauded Indian hospitality.
Late on Sunday evening, Modi took some time from his watertight schedule to visit the International Media Centre at the Bharat Mandapam and greet those present there. He waved at journalists, both from India and abroad, as camerapersons vied to click him. Modi also visited and spent few moments at the stalls of various states and establishments and shared encouraging moments with the organisers and participants.
