Spotlight of the Week Detail

2022 round-up

December 30, 2022

2022 was a landmark year for Ministry of Culture. Following are key highlights of the year:

Inauguration of PradhanmantriSangrahalaya:

Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya’ on 14^th April 2022. The Sangrahalaya, inaugurated during the celebration of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, tells the story of India after Independence through the lives and contributions of its Prime Ministers.

“Har Ghar Tiranga” 

To elevate the patriotic effect that Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav has had on the country, Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the “Har Ghar Tiranga” campaign on 22^nd July 2022. This encouraged people to hoist/display the National Flag at their homes to celebrate the 75th year of India’s independence. The National flag exhibits the hope and aspirations of the people of India and is one of the most important symbols of our national pride. The campaign successfully reached more than 23 Crore households, with an equally successful digital campaign. More than 6 crore ‘Selfie with Tiranga’ were uploaded and more than 5 crore flags were ‘pinned’ virtually.

During Independence Week, as patriotic songs reverberated through the streets, the Tricolour was omnipresent. Homes, markets, shops, parks, schools, office buildings all proudly hoisted the national flag. To help spread the word about Har Ghar Tiranga across the country, historical landmarks, heritage buildings, and Government institutions were all decked with Tricolour.

Jammu & Kashmir lighted up the north with 1,850-meter tricolour show at Bakshi Stadium. Southern part of India was also not far behind, as the amphibious warriors of Thiruvananthapuram military station unfurled a magnificent 75-foot Tiranga at the southernmost point of India in Kanyakumari. In the East, with a 300-foot tricolour and Vande Mataram shouts echoing over the East Kameng region, the nation's horizontal boundary, which includes Arunachal Pradesh, was painted in patriotic colours as well. At Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Indian Coast Guard raised the Indian National Flag underwater! 

Abroad, the Tiranga witnessed drama unfold over the skies as an airplane flew a 220-foot-long Indian flag above Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States of America. The landmark Empire State Building in New York, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, and the Opera House in Australia all displayed the colours of the Indian flag to commemorate the historic event of Har Ghar Tiranga.

Many records were created and broken during this campaign, including:

• 5,885 individuals participated in the creation of the Guinness World Record for the "Largest Human Image of a Waving National Flag" in Chandigarh's cricket stadium. The NID Foundation and Chandigarh University organised the event to support the Har Ghar Tiranga campaign.
• Savitribai Phule Pune University, Maharashtra, set a new Guinness World Record for the "Largest Online Photo Album of People Holding a National Flag". According to the Guinness adjudicator, the final measurement of the record was 1,52,779 inches. In the process of creating this record, the campaign was successful in uniting students from its universities with individuals from all around the nation and the world.

Installation of the Statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

Hon’ble Prime Minister inaugurated the hologram of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at the canopy near India Gate on the occasion of the 125^th birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Following this, he inaugurated the granite statue of Netaji on 8^th September 2022.

The 28-foot-tall statue is one of the largest, most lifelike, monolithic, and hand-crafted sculptures in India.

The statue of Netaji was carved out from a 280 MT monolithic granite block. A 65 MT figure of the granite rock took about 26,000 man-hours of rigorous artistic labor. The statue was entirely hand sculpted utilizing both conventional methods and contemporary tools.

Foundation Stone of ‘India International Centre for Buddhist Culture’ laid

Hon’ble Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for construction of the India International Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage at Lumbini, Nepal on the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima on 16^th May 2022 in presence of Prime Minister of Nepal, Shri Sher Bahadur Deuba. The Centre is funded by the Ministry of Culture and is being constructed by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), a grantee body of the Ministry.

Once completed, the Centre will be a world-class facility welcoming pilgrims and tourists from all over the world to enjoy the essence of spiritual aspects of Buddhism. It will be a modern building, NetZero compliant in terms of energy, water and waste handling, and will house prayer halls, meditation centers, library, exhibition hall, cafeteria, offices and other amenities.

RETRIEVAL OF ANTIQUITIES BY ASI

On 1^st June, 2022, a handing over ceremony was organized for the ten antiquities which were retrieved from USA and Australia. ASI handed over these antique sculptures to Idol Wing, Tamil Nadu, at a colourful ceremony organised at the IGNCA, New Delhi. The antiquities included figurines named Dwarapala, Nataraja, Kankalamurti Kadayam, Nadikeswara Kadayam, Four-Armed Vishnu, Sri Devi, Siva and Parvati, Standing Child Sambandar and Child Sambandar.

Since the time India become independent only 13 stolen artefacts were recovered till 2014. Since 2014, 228 stolen artefacts have been recovered.

Commemoration of Birth and Death Anniversaries

Our heroes and their contributions were commemorated and celebrated during the year, including:

• 400^th Prakash Parvof Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh Ji: A grand function was organized at Red Fort, New Delhi on 21-22 April 2022 on account of the end of the one-year commemoration period of the 400^th Prakash Parv of Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh Ji, where the Hon'ble Prime Minister released a commemorative coin, stamp and also addressed the gathering.
• Birth Anniversary of freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju in Bhimavaram: Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the year-long 125th birth anniversary celebration of legendary freedom fighter Alluri Sitarama Raju in Bhimavaram, Andhra Pradesh. He also unveiled a 30-feet tall bronze statue of Alluri Sitarama Raju on the occasion.
• Sri Aurobindo: On the occasion of 150^thBirth Anniversary of Maharshi Aurobindo, Ministry of Culture commemorated his life and philosophy by undertaking Spiritual Programs in 75 prisons across the country between 12-15 August 2022.The purpose of these programs was to ‘transform’ the lives of prison inmates through inculcation of the philosophy of Sri Aurobindo and also through practice of Yoga and Meditation. Further, tableau of Sri Aurobindo was displayed by Ministry of Culture during Republic Day Parade 2022. Hon’ble Prime Minister also released a postage stamp and a coin on commemoration of 150^th Birth Anniversary of Sri Aurobindo on 13^th December 2022.
• Mahatma Gandhi: On the occasion of the 74^thDeath anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, an all-religion prayer meeting was organized in Gandhi Smriti, the place of Mahatma Gandhi’s Martyrdom. Hon’ble Prime Minster, Hon’ble Lok Sabha Speaker and other dignitaries paid homage to Gandhiji.
• Rabindranath Tagore:A dance drama Utsav on Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti was organized at East Zone Cultural Centre (EZCC), Salt Lake, Kolkata (9^th May 2022). The birth anniversary of Bengal’s greatest poet was also celebrated internationally at Paramaribo, Suriname; Indian Embassy in Beirut, Bebanon; Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Rash Behari Bose: On the occasion of the 136^th Birth Anniversary of Rash Behari Bose, East Zone Cultural Centre (EZCC), Ministry of Culture, organized a short theatre presentation on 25^thMay 2022 in Kolkata, West Bengal. It was a tribute to the revolutionary whose bravery and contribution to the freedom struggle are inscribed in the history of the country.
• Shri Raja Ram Mohun Roy: To commemorate the 250^thBirth Anniversary of Shri Raja Ram Mohun Roy from 22^nd May 2022 to 22^nd May 2023, the inaugural ceremony was organized at Raja Ram Mohun Roy Library Foundation, Salt Lake, Kolkata and at Science City Auditorium, Kolkata. Union Minister of Culture, Tourism and Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Shri G. Kishan Reddy, and Governor of West Bengal, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar graced the ceremony held on 22^nd May 2022.

World Heritage

In July 2022, India was voted into UNESCO’s prestigious Inter-Governmental Committee on ICH, which has 24 members (out of 180 Member States). This is a matter of pride for the country.

UNESCO inscribed ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2021. Ministry of Culture honoured artisans, artists and those associated with Durga Puja celebrations at Kolkata on 24th September 2022.

Apart from the above, three monuments namely: (1) Geoglyphs of Konkan Region; (2) Jing KiengJri, Living Root Bridge Cultural Landscapes, Meghalaya; and (3) Sri Veerbhadra Temple and Monolithic Bull (Nandi), Lepakshi (the Vijayanagara sculpture and painting art tradition) have been included as World Heritage in the Tentative List of UNESCO. This takes the total number of sites/monuments of India in the Tentative List of UNESCO to 49.

Exhibitions and Conferences

• 3^rdmeeting of the National Committee on ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’: Hon’ble Prime Minister addressed the 3^rd meeting of the National Committee on ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 6^th August 2022. The meeting was held through hybrid mode where various members of the National Committee including Lok Sabha Speaker, Governors, Union Ministers, political leaders, media personalities, etc. attended.
• “Devayatanam”, an odyssey of India Temple Architecture:ASI organized an International Conference on 25-26^th February 2022 at Hampi on temple architecture titled “Devayatanam”, an odyssey of India Temple Architecture. As many as 27 speakers of national and international repute participated physically and online to deliver lectures on the temple architecture in the conference. The conference deliberated the philosophical, religious, social, economic, technical, scientific, art and architectural aspects of temples. It also initiated a dialogue on the evolution and development of the various styles of temple architecture such as the Nagara, Vesara, Dravida, Kalinga and others.
• “Re-imagining Museums in India”:Ministry of Culture organised a first of its kind two-day Global Summit on “Re-imagining Museums in India” on 15-16^th February 2022 in Hyderabad under the aegis of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. The Global Summit brought together leading luminaries, domain experts and practitioners in the field of museum development and management from India and around the world to discuss best practices and strategies. Over 25 museologists and museum professionals delved into reimagined priorities and practices for museums. An outcome of this knowledge sharing included creation of a blueprint for development of new museums, a renewal framework and reinvigorating existing museums in India.
• International Day for Monumentsand Sites/World Heritage Day: was celebrated on 18^th April 2022 by various Circles/Museums/Branch Offices of ASI. ASI organized an online photographic exhibition at several monuments/sites on this occasion. All the ASI Circles and Branches got involved in drawing competitions, heritage walks and cleanliness drive activities. A number of school students and general public took participation in the said activities.
• Photo exhibition on the Baolisof Delhi: was organized by ASI at Purana Quila, Delhi on World Heritage Day, 18^th April 2022.
• Saga of Freedom - Known & Lesser-known Struggle: an exhibition was organized by the National Archives of India at New Delhi.
• Partition Horrors Remembrance Day: a unique exhibition based on the partition of India in 1947 was also a part of the activities that took place on Remembrance Day. Shri G Kishan Reddy and Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal inaugurated the exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art campus, New Delhi. This exhibition went on until August 31^st and showcased various events related to partition. Exhibitions were also organized at different stations of the East Coast Railway (ECoR).
• Photo exhibition and special lecture:organized in the memory of Great Revolution of 1857 on 18^th June at Panchmahal, Jhansi. Lalit Kala Akademi also organized Women Freedom Fighter Exhibition in collaboration with WZCC Udaipur.
• Silver Jubilee Celebration of Science City, Kolkata:was celebrated befittingly on 1^st July 2022. On the occasion, a film “Kolkata: the City of Joy” (in the Space Theatre) and an exhibition “25^th Years of Science City” (in the Space Odyssey Hall) were inaugurated. This was followed by inauguration of a giant exhibit “AKAM SUN DIAL” in the Science Park.
• A 28-day long exhibition based on ‘Rare Postal Tickets’:was organized from 1-28 August, 2022 under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign by Allahabad Museum.

Other landmark events and celebrations under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav

• Guinness Book of World Record for waving of National flag: in the presence of Hon’ble Minister of Home Affairs and Co-operation, Shri Amit Shah, India created a Guinness Book of World Record by waving 78,220 National tricolour flag simultaneously at the same time during the “Veer Kunwar Singh Vijayutsav” program in Bihar (on 23^rdApril 2022).
• Vande Bharatam: Ministry of Culture held a three-month long ‘Vande Bharatam - Nritya Utsav’: an All-India dance competition as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav which culminated into a magnificent cultural extravaganza during national Republic Day Celebrations on 26^thJanuary in Delhi. A total 36 teams which won in the final round participated in the Republic Day Parade. Vande Bharatam 2.0 is ongoing to select participants for the Republic Day Parade in 2023.
• ‘Kala Kumbh’: the gigantic and magnificent scrolls created under the unique initiative ‘Kala Kumbh’ were installed at Rajpath for Republic Day 2022 celebrations.
• Kalanjali: Under Kalanjali, cultural performances such as storytelling, dance, theatre, Puppetry are organised at Central Vista every week. Kalanjali started with a dance drama based on the life of Raja Rammohun Roy on 5-6^th November 2022 at Kartavya Path and India Gate (Central Vista).
• Release of Pictorial Books: On the occasion of Tiranga Utsav on 2^ndAugust, Union Minister of Home Affairs Shri Amit Shah released a pictorial book in the memory of revolutionary Tribal fighters of Indian freedom struggle in partnership with Amar Chitra Katha. Further, Minister of State for Culture Smt. Meenakashi Lekhi released a pictorial book on India’s Women Unsung Heroes of Freedom Struggle as part of Azadi Ka Mahotsav in New Delhi. The book has also been released in partnership with Amar Chitra Katha.
• 7th International Yoga Day: was observed on 21^st June 2022 by all Circle/Horticulture/Museum/Science Branch offices of ASI, in addition to the countrywide participation. As a part of countdown programme to International day of Yoga 2022, Yoga Mahotsav was organized by Ministry of Culture at Purana Quila, Delhi on 18^thJune 2022.
• Inauguration the Biplobi Bharat Gallery: on the occasion of Shaheed Diwas, Hon’ble Prime Minister inaugurated the ‘Biplobi Bharat Gallery’ – a new upper floor gallery on the revolutionary nationalists of India in Victoria Memorial Hall on 23^rd March 2022. The inauguration was preceded by a cultural tribute to India’s revolutionary nationalists through dance and music by Sharmila Biswas, eminent Odissi dancer and her troupe.
• On the occasion of National Girl Child Day, Rangoli events were conducted at more than 80 locations with approx. 80,000 participants.
• Under the ‘Post Card to Prime Minister’initiative, 1.07 crore students from 64,201 schools participated.
• On the occasion of Udaan Kite Festival, Pan India events were organized where more than 1.5 crore participants flew kites. Digital programmes were organized along with launch of a kite game.
• Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate: As a part of ‘Amrit Mahotsav Science Showcase: Roadmap to 2047 celebration’, “Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate” was held from 22-28^th February 2022 in various Regional Science Centres, which showcased our scientific tradition and technological ability in different areas. On 22^ndFebruary 2022, Ministry of Culture organized the first event of the series ‘Dhara’ – an Ode to Indian Knowledge System as part of Vigyan Sarvatra Pujyate. 
• International Mother Language Day “EkamBharatam”: was celebrated by Ministry of Culture, in collaboration with IGNCA and UNESCO in February 2022.
• Bharat Bhagya Vidhata: a cultural festival celebrated at Red Fort by promoting “Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharovar, Apni Pehchan” Scheme of the Government of India to encourage private and public companies and organizations to become “Monument Mitras” was organized by Ministry of Culture from 25^th March to 3^rd April 2022.
• Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2022: the 12^thEdition of RSM, a magnificent cultural extravaganza was organised at three locations in Andhra Pradesh and Telengana from 26^th March to 3^rd April 2022. RSM is a celebration of India’s diverse cultural heritage, celebrated in the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
• Sankalp Se Siddhi: was planned between Ministry of Culture and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to develop an Industry-Citizen Charter for Vision 2047. Two big programs have been held under Sankalp Se Siddhi, one in Delhi and the other in Mumbai. The third edition of this event was held in Bengaluru in August 2022.
• Partition Horrors Remembrance Day: The partition of the country is a tragedy that cannot be expressed in words wherein millions of people were killed or rendered homeless. Hon’ble Prime Minister called for observing “Partition Horrors Remembrance Day” on August 14 to ensure that the suffering of those millions of families, who suffered the pain of partition, does not disappear from our memories.
• Mela Moments: is an initiative by the Ministry of Culture to work towards popularizing melas across the country. Announced by the Hon’ble Prime Minister during his Mann Ki Baat, the campaign aims to uplift the spirit of the festive season through visiting melas, being organised from 7^th October 2022 to 31^st March 2023.
• Celebration of ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’: The 75th ‘Hyderabad Liberation Day’ was celebrated in Telangana on 17^thSeptember 2022. Hon’ble Minister of Home Affairs and Co-operation, Shri Amit Shah unfurled the national flag at Parade Grounds in Secunderabad. The purpose of celebrating Hyderabad Liberation Day is to revive the history of the great war of liberation from the Raj of Nizam and to honour the tales of the martyrs.

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