PM Narendra Modi likely to announce soon museum of princely states

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to announce soon the setting up of a “Museum of Royal Kingdoms”, acknowledging the contributions of erstwhile royal families who integrated their states with India after Independence. He is slated to address people on the occasion of ‘National Unity Day’ on Monday, the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The proposed museum, a first of its kind acknowledging the contributions of the 562 princely states of the country in giving current shape to India, will be at “Ekta Nagar”, Kevadia, adjacent to the “Statue of Unity” of Sardar Patel, which is the tallest in the world.
“This is the first such museum depicting the contributions of the royal kingdoms of our country. The announcement will also be a major shift from the culture of looking at royal families as villains,” said a senior government functionary. He confirmed that the PM is set to make the announcement at Kevadia, where he will be present to attend the birth anniversary celebrations of Sardar Patel and address the gathering on the occasion.
Painted for long as parasitic and stooges of the English, the erstwhile royals are gradually being reappraised. The “image correction” has been helped by researchers who have dug deep into the archives to bring to light how many of the former rulers tried to introduce elements of modern education, besides being patrons of the arts.
The official said even earlier, the PM had hailed the wealth creators of the country, yet another shift from the trend of looking at them with “negativity”.
“The PM’s message is loud and clear that each one has contributed to the country’s journey after it attained Independence. India should pay its gratitude to all of them,” the official said. Sources said that the PM himself mooted the idea that the “Museum of Royal Kingdom” be set up at Kevadia near the statue of Sardar Patel, who succeeded in his mission of unifying the country thanks to the prompt response of the princely states, who readily agreed to accede to India.
Sources said the design of the proposed museum is at an advanced stage and its construction will be taken up immediately after the announcement. Spread over an area of 15 acres, the proposed museum will showcase the glorious history, art, culture, language, dialects, administration, tradition and historical events of the erstwhile princely states that merged into India after Independence.
PM Modi will also dedicate two more tourist attractions — a Maze (labyrinth) Garden and Miyawaki Forest — at Ekta Nagar.
Sprawled over three acres with a pathway of 2,100 met- res, this is the largest maze garden in the country and has been developed in eight months. The Maze Garden has been built in the shape of ‘Yantra’ that emanates positive energy. The key objective behind choosing the design was to bring about symmetry while focusing on building an intricate network of pathways. As many as 1,80,000 saplings have been planted near the Maze Garden. This location was originally a dumping site for debris which has now turned into a verdant landscape.