8 Dec : An exhibition entitled “Reflections of Indian Consciousness” was inaugurated today at the National Museum by Smt. Gursharan Kaur in the presence of Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Smt. Ambika Soni. The exhibition has been organized by the Archaeological Survey of India and Union Ministry of Culture. Inaugurating the exhibition Smt. Gursharan Kaur said that the exhibition reflects the Indian philosophy, religion, cultural heritage and history of different periods of India.On the occasion, the Minister for Tourism and Culture Smt. Ambika Soni said that the eternal spirit of India revolves around the concepts of Vasudhaiva Kutumbaka (this world is one family) and ekama sat viprah bahudha vadanti (the universal reality is the same, but different people interpret it by different names). These two proclamations convey the essence of eternal way of life which is coherent with the thoughts and practices of the sacred texts and advocate adherence to mediation, selfless services, self-awareness, compassion and wisdom. She further said the exhibition seeks to celebrate this eternal consciousness through various works of art of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist origins. She also said we can rediscover our history which cherished the values of ideals of peace, harmony, tolerance and co-existence through this exhibition and we can also re-dedicate ourselves to such values specially when mindless, violence surrounds.
The exhibition displays 76 exhibits from the Indian’s history from 3rd Century B.C. to 18th Century A.D. These exceptional pieces have been put together from a number of locations. Each of the exhibit brings in their individuality yet in its totality convey the eternal and incredible spirit of India. Most of the exhibits displayed here are those, which were sent for exhibition “Treasures of Ancient India” to four major cities of China in 2006 and 2007. An exhibition like this, with a focus on the images that reflect the ethos and value system of Indian consciousness, would help in creating an awareness by igniting the minds of the viewers. The DG of ASI Smt. Anshu Vaish and DG of National Museum Shri R.C. Mishra were also present at the function.