From Magna Carta to Ashtadhyayi: artefacts to grace G-20 corridor

Source: The post is based on the article “From Magna Carta to Ashtadhyayi: artefacts to grace G-20 corridor ”  published in The Hindu on 2nd September 2023

What is the News?

Several objects of cultural significance will be displayed at the special Culture Corridor which will be set up at the venue of the G-20 summit in New Delhi.

What is a G20 Culture Corridor?

The Ministry of Culture has conceptualized the Culture Corridor – G20 Digital Museum to represent and celebrate the shared heritage of G20 members and invitee countries. 

This project is based on India’s G20 theme Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ and the Culture Working Group’s (CWG) hallmark campaign ‘Culture Unites All”.

The Culture Corridor will incorporate iconic and notable cultural objects and heritage of the G20 members and 9 invitee countries.

For this, submissions were requested from G-20 countries and nine guest nations under five categories: 1) Object of Cultural Significance (as a physical display) 2) Iconic Cultural Masterpiece (as a digital display) 3) Intangible Cultural Heritage (digital display) 4) Natural Heritage (digital display) and 5) Artefact Related to Democratic Practices (physical or digital display)

What will be displayed at the Culture Corridor being set up at the venue of the G-20 summit in New Delhi?

India: The Rig Veda manuscript will be exhibited with a special emphasis on the shloka that encourages humanity to come together.

– Ancient text Ashtadhyayi authored by Sanskrit philologist and scholar Panini will also be displayed.

– In the intangible heritage category, India will be displaying yoga, the Kumbh Mela, Vedic chanting, the lost wax bronze casting method, and the double ikkat weaving Patan Patola of Gujarat.

– In the natural heritage category, India will display the Himalayas, the Ganges, the Indian Ocean, the Living Root Bridge of Meghalaya and the Royal Bengal Tiger.

Other Countries: 1) ‘Mrs Ples’– a 2.5-million-year-old fossil cranium from South Africa 2) 18th century Fahua lidded porcelain jay of China 3) copy of the Magna Carta issued by the King of England 

4) copy of the Charters of Freedom (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights 1776-1791) of the US 5) copy of Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen National Assembly (France, 1789)  6) poster of the first democratic general election of Republic of Korea held in May 1948 among others.