Ministry of Culture in collaboration with  International Buddhist Confederation (IBC) to host a colourful programme  in New Delhi tomorrow

 Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will participate in the "Shilanyas” ceremony for the construction of a unique  centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage within the Lumbini Monastic Zoneduring his  official visit to Lumbini on 16 May 2022 on the occasion of VaishakhaBuddha Purnima.At Lumbini, Prime Minister will visit the sacred Mayadevi temple to offer prayers. Prime Minister will also deliver an address at a Buddha Jayanti event organized by the Lumbini Development Trust under the aegis of the Government of Nepal.

The construction of the unique  ‘India International Centre for Buddhist Culture & Heritage’ with a universal appeal will be undertaken by the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), India under the auspices of the Lumbini Development Trust with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.International Buddhist Confederation, is a grantee body under the Ministry of Culture . The Buddhist Centre will be the first ‘Net Zero Emission’ building in Nepal .
Also, on the occasion,the Ministry of Culture in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation (IBC)is hosting a colourful programme for the Vaishakha Buddha Purnima Divas celebrations in New Delhi.The highlight will be the screening of a film on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foundation- stone laying ceremony, earlier in the day for the Centre for Buddhist Culture and Heritage at Lumbini, Nepal.

The event will start at 2:00 pm with Chanting from various Buddhist sites played on the screen.

The Chief Guest, for the event will be Shri KirenRijiju, Minister of Law and Justice, Government of India, while the Guest of Honourwill be Shri G. Kishan Reddy, Minister for Culture, Tourism and DoNER, Government of India with Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of State for Culture as special guest.

The significance of the timing of Prime Minister’s visit to Nepal is to coincide the inauguration of  LumbiniBuddhist Centre with the Holy Vaishakha Buddha Purnima Divas. The day is recognized as the thrice blessed day that marks the Birth, Enlightenment and Mahaparinirvana of Lord Buddha. While Buddha was born in Lumbiniin Nepal, he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya in Bihar, preached his first sermon at Sarnath and attained Nirvana in Kushinagar, in Uttar Pradesh.

Lumbini is the holy place where according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama at around 623 B.C. Lord Buddha, was born in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage.

Among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative pillars there. The site is now being developed as a Buddhist pilgrimage centre, where the archaeological remains associated with the birth of the Lord Buddha form a central feature.

Some of the other Viharas and Monasteries in the area are the Myanmar’s Golden Temple, Tara Foundation Temple, The Sri Lanka Monastery, the Korean Temple (Dae Sung Shakya), the Cambodian Monastery and the Vietnamese Phat QuocTu Temple.

Lumbini is one of the holiest and most important places in Nepal as a result of which it was included in the list of World Heritage areas by UNESCO.

The International Buddhist Confederation (IBC), India- with its headquarters in New Delhi, was formed in 2013 as an international Buddhist umbrella body to serve as a common platform for Buddhists worldwide. It has the honour of being instituted under the patronage of the Supreme Buddhist religious hierarchy. The aim is to create a platform for various Buddhist organisations and traditions worldwide to preserve, propagate and promote shared Buddhist values and principles. The objective is also to find shared solutions to global problems.

The IBC has been actively involved in engaging Buddhist organisations in Nepal and has a strong relationship with several senior Buddhist monks. The Prime Minister’s visit and the building of an Indian Centre within the LumbiniMonastic complex will further strengthen the bonds through a shared Buddhist heritage and legacy.

The programme will be available at the following links of IBC from 8.00am onwards on 16^th May, 2022:

To celebrate International Museum Day, the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi is organizing a host of educational activities and programs under the theme of ‘Power of Museums’ as mentioned by International Council of Museums (ICOM). Every year since 1977, ICOM has been organizing an International Museum Day (IMD), which represents a unique event for the international museum community. The objective of this day is to raise awareness of the role that museums play as an ‘important means of cultural exchange, enrichment of cultures and development of mutual understanding, cooperation and peace among peoples.’

The National Gallery of Modern Art will present weeklong celebrations with the above-mentioned theme from 16th – 20th May 2022. Two seminal exhibitions focusing on the modern masters of Indian art titled, Hastantaran and Kshetragya will be inaugurated on 18th May by Shri G. Kishan ReddyMinister of Culture, Minister of Tourism & Minister of Development of North- Eastern region as chief guest in the presence of Shri Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Ms. Lily Pandeya, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture.

While the exhibition Hastantaran invites the viewer to the artistic and spiritual journey of the Nandalal Bose (1882- 1966) traversing through different mediums, murals to lithographs and panel paintings done for Haripura session of Congress; Kshetragya celebrates the Navratnas of India’s National Art Treasures, with a special focus on the artistic interventions of Benode Behari Mukherjee and Ramkinkar Baij.

A series of guided walkthroughs and art workshops based on the art of Jamini Roy and Amrita Sher-Gil will form the core of the interdisciplinary program. Night at the Museum will be organized for underprivileged children during the extended visiting hours of the museum in the evening with 3D projection mapping.

Under the auspices of the cultural exchange program between India and Brazil, the exhibition titled, Brasilia and the construction of Modern Brazil will be inaugurated on 16th May 2022 in the gracious presence of Shri Hardeep Singh Puri Union Minister for Housing & Urban Affairs & Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas as the chief guest and Smt Meenakshi Lekhi, Minister of State for Culture as guest of honour.

Apart from these events, there is an interesting lineup of cultural performances, photo booths for those keen on selfies to name a few. The museum will remain open for extended hours and there will be no entry fee charged from the visitors from 16th- 20th May 2022. For more information, please write to: National Gallery of Modern Art, Jaipur House, India Gate- 110003, Email: [email protected]

Union Minister for Culture, Tourism and Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Shri G. Kishan Reddy today stressed upon the vast potential of river cruise industry in the country. Addressing the 1st Incredible India International Cruise Conference (IIICC) in Mumbai, Shri Reddy invited domestic and international tourists to ‘Come, Cruise in India.’  The minister said ‘The Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has made significant efforts to clean and rejuvenate our rivers including the mammoth Namami Gange Project, which can provide a major boost to river-based tourist activities’.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH Shri Sarbananda Sonowal was also present at the second day of the conference and witnessed the signing of various MoUs. Union Minister Shri Sonowal along with Minister of State Shri Shripad Naik inaugurated the conference yesterday that is jointly organized by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Government of India and FICCI.

Speaking at the conference, the Union Minister Shri Reddy said ‘We are currently working towards a Comprehensive Indian National Tourism Policy’. ‘Cruise tourism will certainly be a priority sector, as it is one of the most vibrant and fast-growing sectors of the leisure and travel industry’, he added. Shri Reddy further said ‘Under the ambitious PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, tourism related infrastructure is also being developed with a focus on shipping, river tourism, forest and wildlife tourism’.

Citing upcoming opportunities, Union Minister Shri Reddy said there are around 150 conferences planned at various places in the G-20 countries. He said ‘we should tap these opportunities; we can develop temporary infrastructure if we need’. ‘We may use these platforms for showcasing tourism potential in our country’, he added. The Minister remarked, ‘The promotion of coastal tourism through Beach tourism, Lighthouse tourism and Cruise tourism will help communities such as fishing communities to find other livelihood opportunities and supplement their existing income’.

Union Minister Shri Reddy said that under the Swadesh Darshan scheme, the Ministry of Tourism has sanctioned ten projects under coastal thematic circuits worth Rs. 648.80 crore across various States / Union Territories. The government has also sanctioned 228.61 crores for various projects on developing cruise terminals and related infrastructure at major ports under the ''Assistance to Central Agencies for Tourism Infrastructure Development'' scheme.

On the second day of the conference, Shri G. Kishan Reddy participated in the two Business sessions namely ‘Potential of River Cruising’ and ‘Cruise Tourism: Success Stories and Destination Development’. He also held a meeting with leaders of International Cruise lines.

G. Kamala Vardhan Rao , Director General Tourism spelt out the steps being taken by Ministry of Tourism to promote Domestic & International Tourism post the pandemic period.

MoUs Singed at the Incredible India International Cruise Conference

Invites the team, coaches to PM residence on their return

“Coaches and parents deserve all the appreciation”

“You all have achieved such a momentous feat. Entire team deserves kudos”

‘You will have to give me ‘Almora ki Bal Mithai Now’ PM tells Lakshya Sen

There is excellent support for sports in India now. If this continues, we think, India will see many more champions: team tell the Prime Minister

Victorious team tells young children “If you can work with 100 per cent dedication, you will definitely succeed”

The Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi interacted on phone with the Indian Badminton team that has scored the historic win at the Thomas Cup, today.

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The Prime Minister congratulated the team and said that sports analyst will have to count this as India’s finest sporting win. He said that he was especially happy that the team did not lose any round.

The Prime Minister asked the players at what stage did they feel that that they are going to win. KidambiSrikanth informed him that after the quarter final, the team’s determination to see it to the end became very strong. He also told the Prime Minister that team spirit helped and every player gave his 100 percent.

The Prime Minister said that the coaches also deserve all the appreciation.

The Prime Minister, told Lakshya Sen that he will have to give him ‘Bal Mithai’ from Almora. The Ace shuttler hails from the Devbhoomi of Uttarakhand. The Prime Minister noted that Lakshaya is third generation player. Lakshya Sen informed that his father was present during the tournament. He also echoed Shrikant and said that after quarter finals, belief in victory became even more concrete. HS Prannoy also said that winning quarter final was very important.After winning that, it became clear that Indian team was in position to take on any team. He said that team support resulted in defeating strong teams like Malaysia. The Prime Minister also congratulated SatviksairajRankireddy and Chirag Shetty for their victories. The Prime Minister broke into Marathi with Chirag Shetty who informed him that nothing tops becoming world champion that too from India. “You all have achieved such a momentous feat. Entire team deserves kudos”. The Prime Minister invited them to his residence along with their coaches, on their return to India as he wished to talk to them and listen to their experiences.

The Prime Minister asked for the victorious team’s message for the budding athletes and young children who are taking up sports like Badminton, Table Tennis or swimming. Srikanth spoke for the team and said that today, there is excellent support for sports in India. Due to efforts of Sports Authority of India, Government, sports federations and at elite level- Target Olympics Podium Scheme TOPS the sportspersons are feeling very well supported. If this continues, we think, India will see many more champions. He told the young children who are taking up sports of their choice that if they can give their 100 per cent than there is great support for them in India in the sports field. There are good coaches and infrastructure, if they are committed, they can do well at the international level. “If they can work with 100 per cent dedication, they will definitely succeed”, said Kidambi Srikanth.

The Prime Minister conveyed his regards and appreciation for the parents of the players as it is a challenging task to encourage children for sports and stay with them till the end. The Prime Minister joined them in their jubilation and chanting of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ at the end of the call.