By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: In a special meeting of the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library Society, it was resolved to change its name to Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society. The Special Meeting was presided over by Defence Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh who is the Vice-President of the Society.
Prime Minister Shri Modi had mooted the idea of setting up of a museum dedicated to all the Prime Ministers of India on Teen Murti Premises, New Delhi in 2016.The Executive Council, NMML had in its 162nd meeting held on 25-11-2016 approved the construction of the Museum of all Prime Ministers in the Teen Murti Estate. The project was completed and the Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya was opened to the public on 21st April 2022.
The Executive Council subsequently felt that the name of the Institution should reflect the present activities which now also include a Sangrahalaya depicting the collective journey of democracy in Independent India and highlighting the contribution of each Prime Minister in nation-building. The Museum is a seamless blend which begins at the renovated and refurbished Nehru Museum building, now completely updated with technologically advanced displays on the life and contribution of Shri Jawaharlal Nehru. Housed in a new building the museum then goes on to tell the story of how our Prime Ministers navigated the nation through various challenges and ensured all-round progress of the country. Thus, it recognizes all the Prime Ministers, thereby democratizing the institutional memory.
Chairman, Executive Council, Shri Nripendra Misra in his welcome address explained the need for change in name by emphasizing that the Prime Ministers’ Museum expresses the nation’s deep commitment to democracy and so the name of the institution should reflect its new form.
Defence Minister, Shri Rajnath Singh, Vice-President of the Society in his address welcomed the proposal for change in name, since in its new form the institution exhibits the contributions of all prime ministers from Shri Jawaharlal Nehru to Shri Narendra Modi and their responses to various challenges faced by them. Describing Prime Ministers as an institution and comparing the journey of various prime ministers to the varied colours of a rainbow, Shri Rajnath Singh emphasized that all the colours of a rainbow have to be proportionately represented in order to make it beautiful. Thus the resolution has given a new name, respect to all our previous prime ministers and is democratic in content.
