Google Cultural Institute unveiled the new online content in an ongoing effort to digitize and share the best of India’s heritage with the world. This includes material from 10 new partner institutions across the country and it includes: the Salar Jung Museum, Victoria Memorial Hall Kolkata, Dastkari Haat Samiti, Heritage Transport Museum, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres & Ashrams and the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute.
With new exhibitions from long-standing partners such as National Museum, over 2,000 new images & 70 virtual exhibits have been added to Google’s platform. The collection includes 26 new virtual tours of famous sites such as Ekattarso Mahadeva Temple and the royal saloon that once was part of the Palace on Wheels, which were captured using Google’s Street View technology.
In order to make the content more accessible, Dastkaari Haat Samiti, Devi Art Foundation, Heritage Museum and Kalakriti Archieves are launching mobile apps which are built by Cultural Institute to showcase their exhibits.
Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State of Tourism and Cultural (Independent Charge) and Civil Aviation, said:
“India has a rich heritage and culture and it has been our endeavour to showcase this to the world. Technology will play a crucial role in transforming and building a truly Digital India, as per the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister and getting Indian culture and heritage online will play an important role in making the vision a reality. We appreciate the contribution of the Google Cultural Institute in this regard and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership.”
Rajan Anandan, Vice President and Marketing Director, Google South East Asia and India, said:
“Google is committed to preserving and breathing new life into cultural treasures around the world. India is brimming with a wealth of art, heritage and history. It has been our privilege to help iconic Indian institutions bring their rich collections online using the power of technology. When technology, art and heritage come together, the results are truly fascinating.”
Amit Sood, Director of the Google Cultural Institute, said:
“The mission of the Cultural Institute is to make the world’s heritage accessible for global audiences and to preserve it digitally for generations to come. By bringing India’s rich heritage online, we hope to introduce people across the globe to the fascinating world of Indian culture, history and art. We have expanded the scope of our technology so that anybody with a mobile phone can now explore Indian culture through unique partner apps. Partners can also embed on their website, helping making Indian culture easily accessible to all. And for this, I am very grateful to our partners.”
If you do not know, Google Cultural Institute was launched back in 2012 in India with the National Museum and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi as initial partners. You can visit www.google.com/culturalinstitute/collections?q=india to experience all the collections. As of today, Cultural Institute works with 18 institutions to showcase the best of Indian art and culture.
