Work on proposed national museum gathers pace, 350+ artisans and firms join project

More than 350 artisans, designers, technology providers and firms are being brought together for the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum, a proposed national museum in New Delhi that will showcase India’s civilisational journey through traditional crafts, contemporary design and immersive technology.

As work on the ambitious project gathers pace, the Ministry of Culture organised two programmes this month — Shilpkar Samagam on September 2-3 and a Vendor Development Programme on September 7-8 — to bring together specialists who could contribute to its design, construction and visitor experience, the ministry said in a statement.

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The first programme focused on India’s craft traditions. Held at the National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi, the Shilpkar Samagam brought together more than 150 master artisans, craft practitioners and institutions from across the country.

More than 100 artisans demonstrated skills in textiles, metalwork, woodcraft, stone carving, ceramics, bamboo and cane, decorative arts, traditional painting and architectural crafts. Discussions centred on how these skills could be incorporated into the museum’s architecture, interiors, galleries, public spaces and landscape, the statement said.

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The approach marks an attempt to move beyond museums where traditional crafts are largely seen through displayed objects. The museum planners aim to create spaces in which visitors can experience India’s cultural traditions as living practices.

At the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum, the government wants craftsmanship itself to form part of the visitor experience.

Vivek Aggarwal, secretary, ministry of culture, said the museum was being conceived as a “living institution” that would reflect India’s civilisational continuity, collective memory and creative traditions. “The second programme, held on September 7-8, brought around 200 Indian and international firms into the project.