Something big is coming to India. Like, really big. Potentially the biggest of its kind in the world, in fact.
New Delhi’s Central Secretariat, an early twentieth-century sandstone wonder which has acted as the nation’s central seat of government since it gained independence in 1947, is set to be transformed into a huge museum, the Times reports.
This comes with an announcement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the nation will be led from new headquarters – somewhere without a lingering reminder of its colonial past.
New Delhi’s Central Secretariat to become world’s largest museum
Transforming the Central Secretariat into a museum was an idea first proposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May 2023, and put into writing in December, in an agreement between India’s Ministry of Culture and the French government.
The building opened in 1931 and was originally built as a symbol of British imperial rule, with its design incorporating notes of both Indian and European architecture. However, it remained the administrative heart of the nation even once the British forces had left.
30,000 objects chronicling 5,000 years of national heritage
Between the north and south blocks, there are said to be thousands of rooms. Over time, the building has become overcrowded with staff, with temporary walls being put up to artificially create more space for an ever-growing government. It’s thought that only 950 of the Secretariat’s rooms will be necessary to house nearly 30,000 objects chronicling 5,000 years of national history. It will be a celebration of India’s rich cultural heritage.
The Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum, which comes from the Sanskrit for ‘everlasting India’, will replace the current National Museum, also in Delhi. No timeframes have been given yet, although the new government offices are already near completion just down the road.
New government offices
The new base is much more fit for purpose, with towering glass walls and in-built air conditioning. Whilst some staff members will miss working in the iconic Central Secretariat, plenty are just happy to have a bit of personal space back. One former economic advisor told the Times that ‘it wasn’t so special inside North Block. People overhype the aura. Staff will be much better off in functioning offices than in some nostalgic haze’.
Hopefully, we don’t have to wait too long to see this gorgeous building become home to millennia of history and open up to the public to enjoy.
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