Rig Veda, Mona Lisa, and Magna Carta: The Culture Corridor on display at G20 summit

With only three days left, New Delhi is making sure that the prestigious G20 Summit runs without a hitch. The Ministry of Culture is also making extensive preparations for the highly anticipated Culture Corridor, which will provide a significant platform for fostering a sense of shared identity, knowledge sharing, inclusivity, and equality. It will also serve to promote understanding and appreciation of various cultural expressions, according to News18. The summit’s venue, the Bharata Mandapam complex, features a 10,000-square-foot cultural corridor on the second level where the heads of state will enter for all of the important meetings and events. Also read: G20 Summit: How to travel in Delhi? What’s allowed and what’s not? The Culture Corridor India designed the corridor, which will showcase a portion of the cultures of all the G20 participants. The arena will host a digital exhibition on giant screens that measure 90 feet by 20 feet, in addition to the physical submissions that have been sent by the different participating countries. Over 29 renowned and illustrious cultural artefacts by the G20 members and the nine invited nations’ will be at display. The five categories for submissions were: Object of Cultural Significance (as a physical display), Iconic Cultural Masterpiece (as a digital display), Intangible Cultural Heritage (as a digital display), Natural Heritage (as a digital display), and an Artefact Related to Democratic Practices (as a physical or digital display), reported Hindustan Times. The experience is consistent with the G20 concept Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which is “One Earth. One Family. One Future.” The physical submissions and display pieces have all been placed in their own boxes. Up to six UN-approved languages will be represented on every display for these exhibitions.

New Delhi gearing up for the upcoming #G20India 🇮🇳Summit!

📸Have a glimpse at the spectacular artwork depicting India's rich culture ahead of the #G20Summit to be held in National Capital on 9th-10th September, 2023.#G20India2023 #G20 @PMOIndia @ianuragthakur @Murugan_MoS… pic.twitter.com/Jcaziy2ESk

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A 100-person team meticulously selected articles to build a traditional exhibition of all G20 nations. Modern technology, including 3D and other cutting-edge technologies, will also be featured in the exhibition, as per News18. A selfie point has also been set up for the dignitaries at G20. The artefacts, which are on loan for four months, are likely to be opened for public viewing when the summit is over. Also read: G20 Summit: From millets to litthi chokha, the food being served to world leaders India’s submission for the corridor A copy of the Rig Veda will be on exhibit as part of the Indian culture showcase, with the theme “Let us work together,” as it is stated in one of the chapters of the Rig Veda. This is one of the original manuscripts that will be physically on display at the location. A treatise on Sanskrit grammar from the sixth to fifth centuries BCE, Panini Ashtadhyayi, will also be on display in addition to this, reported India Today. For the digital segment, New Delhi will highlight the Himalayan splendour, the Ganga river, which is the lifeline of the country, the Indian Ocean, which gives India its name, India’s pride, the Royal Bengal tiger, and the route bridge from Meghalaya.

The Bhimbetka cave paintings, yoga, the Kumbh mela, Vedic chanting, Chola bronzes, and Patan Patola weaving will all be on display as part of India’s intangible heritage. A 90 by 20-foot U-shaped screen will be used for four fifteen-minute screenings of a three-dimensional immersive experience. “The idea is to provide a 360-degree view of art from across the countries to the visitors,” Hindustan Times quoted an official familiar with the matter as saying. The Bharat: The Mother of Democracy exhibition in India aims to show how democracy has been a fundamental component of Indian civilization for ages. It will have 26 interactive panels with information about the history of the nation’s democratic system, beginning with the time of King Ashoka and the Rigveda and Atharvaveda. The democratic institutions referenced in these texts, such as the Sabha, Samiti, and Sansad—the last of which is still used to refer to the Indian Parliament—will also be discussed in these panels. Also read: G20 Summit: Why a joint declaration is unlikely Artefacts from other G20 countries According to News18, the United States will display Niagara Falls and the Statue of Liberty, while France has submitted a digital painting of the iconic Mona Lisa as part of the corridor. An exhibition titled Mother of Democracy, in which participating nations have concentrated on one crucial turning point in their democratic path, features a charter of freedom that incorporates the Declaration of Independence, the American Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. On the other hand, the United Kingdom has sent a copy of the Magna Carta from the 13th century and will also highlight the country’s extensive interest in rugby. World-famous artists like Leonardo Da Vinci and Vermeer (Girl with a Pearl Earring) will be represented, as will important cultural icons. A performance of Shakespeare’s famed tragedy Hamlet will also be presented, on loan from the UK, as per HT. [caption id=“attachment_13079682” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The G20 summit will take place on 9 and 10 September at the brand-new, cutting-edge Bharat Mandapam convention venue in Delhi’s Pragati Maidan. PTI[/caption] China’s participation in the exhibition will be symbolised by a porcelain Lotus jar and an iron Rhino Wine Container. Both of these tangible items date to the sixteenth century. Russia is sending items for the show, including the Apollo Belvedere, a sculpture by Giovanni Angelo Montorsoli (from Italy), as well as the customary Khakas women’s clothing and the treaty on trade and justice. The Grand Canyon (US) and Baikal Lake (Russia) will both be on display among the natural heritage. Also on exhibit will be Mrs. Ples, a 2.5 to 2.8 million-year-old fossil skull discovered in South Africa’s Sterkfontein Caves. Other items include the Coatlicue Statue, an Aztec sculpture from Mexico; the Abrahamic Family House, an interfaith complex in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and the Kosode, a short-sleeved Japanese garment and the Kimono’s predecessor, according to Livemint. Other culturally significant artefacts on display include Ravann, a tambourine-like instrument used in Mauritius, and NEWater, highly purified reclaimed wastewater created by Singapore’s Public Utilities Board. Also read: G20 Summit: What Xi and Putin’s absence means for India The Digital Museum With participation from all G20 members and nine invited countries, the Culture Corridor-G20 Digital Museum is a unique joint effort. It was conceived under India’s G20 leadership. 180-degree immersive screens will be set up in the exhibition space. The exhibit will also include a 12-foot digital cube that will show the anamorphic content of the famous works of art, reported The New Indian Express. For this, nations have sent high-resolution digital images and sounds of their famous cultural works, Mona Lisa, the 16th-century painting by Leonardo da Vinci which is at the Louvre Museum in Paris, ‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’, the famed oil painting by Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer from The Netherlands, Gutenberg Bible (1454) from Germany. Additionally, nations have sent displays of their intangible cultural heritage, such as traditional archery (Turkey), Bolshoi Ballet (Russia) and Manual Bell Ringing (Spain and the European Union). With inputs from agencies