India Heritage Centre plans immersive museum in Washington DC to showcase civilisational legacy

Highlights:

FROM the Indus Valley Civilisation to a nation on the rise, the India story may soon come alive at a museum in America, with a first-of-its-kind project aimed at the younger generations of the Indian community.

The India Heritage Centre is scouting for a suitable location in Washington DC to house the brick-and-mortar museum. It plans to use immersive technology, virtual reality, interactive exhibits and multimedia displays to present India’s contributions over the years to a global audience.

“The aim is to propagate awareness on India’s age-old rich civilisational strength, educating the diaspora, especially younger generations, instilling pride, dispelling ignorance and perhaps sensitising the global multiethnic community,” Indian American educationist Amitabh Sharma said.

Sharma approached the Indian Embassy in the capital for the use of a building purchased by it in 2013 in the heart of the city to set up the museum.

“At a time when narratives shape global perception, future generations require authentic institutions that preserve, present, and celebrate India’s extraordinary contributions to humanity,” Sharma said.

A similar museum is also planned in Atlanta, Georgia and in other locations, he added.

There is a proposal for the museum to have 10 galleries mapping the Indus Valley civilisation, the Vedic Foundation, contributions of Indian innovations, spiritual prowess, colonial invasions and resistance, independence icons and the country’s economic growth.

Over the past eight years, Sharma has consulted Indologists, historians and archaeologists to validate content for the museum.

An auditorium for intellectual discourse will complement the historic presentations, Sharma said, adding that the India Heritage Centre was prepared to purchase land in the American capital - if the proposed arrangement with the embassy does not bear fruit.