The Minister of State for Culture (Independent Charge), Tourism (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, Dr Mahesh Sharma today unveiled new online content on‘The Google Cultural Institute’, an initiative to make India’s heritage accessible for global audiences and to preserve it digitally for generations to come. The initiative began as a joint effort between Google and the Union Ministry of Culture in 2012 with the National Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi as initial partners. The latest content loaded on the site includes material from new partner institutions across the country. The new partnersinclude the Archeological Survey of India, Salar Jung Museum (Hyderabad), Victoria Memorial Hall (Kolkata) along with other prominent institutes Dastkari Haat Samiti, Devi Art Foundation, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, Kalakriti Archives, Heritage Transport Museum, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres & Ashrams, and the RamamaniIyengar Memorial Yoga Institute.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mahesh Sharma said that India has a rich heritage and culture, and it has been our endeavor to showcase this to the world. Technology will play a crucial role in building a truly Digital India, as per the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister, and availability of Indian culture and heritage online will play an important role in making this vision a reality, the Minister added. It will create a positive impact on Indian Tourism. The Minister emphasized that our youth must first familiarize itself with the rich culture & heritage of our country before seeking tourist destinations abroad. The new initiatives to promote tourism will help to contribute to the GDP, Dr Mahesh Sharma said. Vice President and Managing Director, Google South East Asia and India, Shri Rajan Anandan said that when technology , art and heritage come together, the results are truly fascinating and it has been their effort to help iconic Indian institutions bring their rich collections online using the power of technology.
The collection of the Google Cultural Institute showcases a wide range of treasures that embody the country’s unique heritage, from ancient architecture to modern day contemporary art. Together with new exhibitions from longstanding partners such as the National Museum, over 2,000 new images and 70 virtual exhibits have been added to Google’s platform. The collection also includes 26 new virtual tours of famous sites such as the Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple and the royal saloon that once was part of the Palace on Wheels, which were capturedusing Google’s Street View technology. In an effort to make the content even more accessible, Dastkaari Haat Samiti, Devi Art Foundation, Heritage, Transport Museum and Kalakriti Archives are launching mobile apps built by the Cultural Institute to showcase their exhibits. In addition, Dastkaari Haat Samiti, Kalakriti Archives, RamamaniIyengar Memorial Yoga Institute and Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres and Ashrams will use the Cultural Institute’s embedding technologies to deliver these virtual exhibits on their own websitesThe collections are available on www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collections