President visits Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya, soon-to-open 'Narendra Modi Gallery'

President Droupadi Murmu visited the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya (prime minister museum) in New Delhi on Monday, and said every Indian citizen who visits this museum will feel proud. The president became the "first visitor" to the 'Narendra Modi Gallery', which will be opened to the public from 16 January, the culture ministry said in a statement.

She visited the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya and "saw the displays there with deep interest", it said. During her visit spanning nearly one-and-a-half hours, President Murmu also visited the Constitution Gallery in the old building of the Teen Murti Bhavan, which houses the museum.

The president expressed her appreciation for the sangrahalaya and also wrote in the visitor book. "I am convinced that every Indian citizen who comes here and sees the various galleries of the sangrahalaya will feel proud," she wrote.

The 'Narendra Modi Gallery' is located on the ground floor of the sangrahalaya, and its opening will come days ahead of the consecration ceremony of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on 22 January.

The construction of the temple and the rejuvenation of other temples has been showcased as part of a section called 'Sanskriti' and other sections in the soon-to-open gallery will include 'Vikas', 'Paryavaran' and 'Suraksha' among others.

The culture ministry said President Murmu spent some time seeing its various sections such as 'Sushashan', 'Paryavaran', 'Vikas', 'Antarrashtriya Sadbhaava', 'Vigyanodaya', 'Sanskritik Dharohar', 'Suraksha' and 'Jan Bhagidari'. She was particularly impressed by immersive and interactive displays. She also visited the experiential zone 'Anubhuti', it added.

President Murmu also saw the displays on the temples of modern India and the institutions built soon after Independence. She saw with interest the Toshakhana, where the gifts received by the prime ministers from India and abroad are on display.

She also visited the private wing of the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, where his bedroom and study are located, it said.

In the new building of the sangrahalaya, the President saw the Freedom and Unity Gallery, which shows films on Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, before proceeding to the galleries of various prime ministers.

She viewed with interest the badminton racket, charkha and the passbook of former prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, and with deep interest the letters of Jayaprakash Narayan and his jail diary.

The president also saw the recreation of the 'Pokhran 2' nuclear tests, the display on the Golden Quadrilateral, and a film on the 1994 Kargil War. And, with deep interest, she also saw the display on the Indo-US Civil nuclear deal, it added.

Prime Minister Museum & Library (PMML) executive council members, including chairman Nripendra Misra, vice-chairman A. Surya Prakash, director Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Vinaya Sahasrabuddhe and Swapan Dasgupta among others were also present on the occasion.

Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 14 April 2022, the sangrahalaya has become an important destination for children, students, senior researchers and tourists, both domestic and foreign, according to the ministry.

"The sangrahalaya has an average of 2,000 visitors a day. Every visitor takes away the unique message of India's journey in a parliamentary democracy along with its developmental success. The sangrahalaya has received around 7.5 lakh visitors since its inauguration," it added.