By Vagmi Singh & Kartike Garg
In today’s globalised era, museums and art institutions have undergone a transformation, expanding beyond their traditional roles as destinations for school outings and leisurely picnics. These cultural spaces have embraced a new purpose by democratising art and presenting a national expression that resonates both locally and globally. This reimagining of museums holds significant implications for India’s soft power on the international stage.
Museums in India are now not only cultural spaces depicting India through the ages but are increasingly gaining political, economic and socio-cultural importance. Art and culture is no longer an elitist concept divided on class as argued by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. Nowadays people coming from different backgrounds, spread across class, caste, sex are copiously consuming and engaging with it. This structural change has considerably transformed museums; from being regarded as places of artefacts, they are now considered cultural spaces having influence on the masses.
In this transformational journey, India has grabbed the opportunity leveraging its diverse culture and vibrant history. Hosting the International Museum Expo 2023 is testament to it. It is now an annual flagship event under the Ministry of Culture. The event, this time, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 18th May 2023. The day also marks International Museum Day. Furthermore, the government also unveiled the mascot, Dancing Girl. It holds immense cultural and aesthetic importance, symbolic of Indic civilization. The expo will inevitably become a space to connect to people across borders and would be paramount for India as it would help India gain a soft power edge at the International platform.
Reimagining Museums
Reimagining and innovating museums has played an indispensable role in promoting culture and disseminating nationalistic expression through history to the masses. The transformational changes reflect the age we are living in. They vary from technological changes to changes in storytelling form to empathise and sensitise people. Firstly, the growth of thematic museums such as the National Crafts Museum, New Delhi and Museo Camera, Gurugram. One such thematic museum on Partition in Amritsar has revived important events of India’s past. It tries to engage with the visitors through artefacts donated by people who migrated during the partition, thereby, sensitising people.
Secondly, use of virtual reality and augmented reality with focus on acoustics in museums have revitalised them, giving the visitors an immersive experience. Thirdly, museums of memory have created a new trend and shifted the focus from factual history to oral history. This aspect has not only made museums more engaging but has invoked the empathetic component in visitors. Fourthly, video games on museums recently launched by the government will reach a wider audience, transcending boundaries, age and class in a heavily digitised and internet based world. Even those who think museums are mundane and are glued to the screen would be able to access the information in a more nuanced and interactive way. Furthermore, the government has also launched a graphic novel, ‘A Day at the Museum’, inviting students to engage with museums creatively.
Fifthly, museums famous at global level have, over the years, created social capital. They no longer remain immobile and transcended international boundaries either as museums on wheels or creating similar structures on foreign land like the Louvre in Abu Dhabi or NGMA in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.
Transforming Traditional Museums
The transcendental nature of museums have acquired diplomatic hold and are now used as instruments to increase a nation’s persuasive power at global platforms. To quote, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Mugdha Sinha, “It is a tremendous opportunity to be able to organise an International Museum Expo to initiate an all-around conversation with museum stakeholders and professionals as a way to incorporate recommendations for policy-making around museums and for curating museums formed on people programming and museum professionals in a synergistic and comprehensive way.”
Museums are also spaces of economic activities. They help in increasing tourism. For instance, when the Guggenheim Museum opened in Bilbao, Spain, it transformed the city into a tourist destination.Therefore, museums are also cultural hubs, driving economic growth. Through museums the unifying effect of shared history of nations can be easily kept alive. They actively emphasis upon the shared experiences. For example, Holocaust Museum in the USA is a reminder to the international community of the atrocities that took place under Fascist regime. Socio-culturally, they provide spaces to different communities, especially the marginalised, to maintain cultural continuity and distinct identity. For example, the recently inaugurated Birsa Munda Museum, Ranchi, a Tribal Museum preserves and promotes tribal culture.
To further leverage the position, India needs to improve its infrastructure across Museums at standard par with museums in Europe which are known for its unique style of infrastructure and accessibility. It is commendable that India has finally launched a Museum Directory, providing authentic information to those interested in museums and museology. It is advisable for the government to establish a separate department focusing on museums, regulating and maintaining museums all over India and promoting research in the sector.
The Indian government’s emphasis on soft power and cultural heritage of India can get a boost through its Museums. In today’s age, they are not limited to telling historical truth. They actively create narrative and induce sentiments through which the persuasive power of diplomacy operates. Thus, museums have emerged as a consummate agent of soft power, a subtle peddler of influence, furthering national interests at a global platform.
About the Authors:
Vagmi Singh, pursuing Sociology, Hindu College, Delhi University, also a research intern at the Ministry of Culture.
Kartike Garg, Postgraduate student of International Relations and Area Studies, School of International Studies, JNU.
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Art and culture is no longer an elitist concept divided on class as argued by sociologist Pierre Bourdieu. Nowadays people coming from different backgrounds, spread across class, caste, sex are copiously consuming and engaging with it.
