British cultural delegation explores India tie-ups

Aimed at promoting cultural diplomacy with India, leading British arts and cultural institutional heads are meeting with various artists, scholars and museum officials to promote contemporary art, architecture, textiles and museums.

The officials are part of the delegation accompanying prime minister David Cameron who is on a three-day visit to India.

"Every year, the British Museum invites 25 young curators aged below 30 from all over the world to take part in a curatorial seminar so that they can all come to work on different cultures from across the world and explore common heritage," Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum said.

"We are in talks with Indian museum officials for an exchange of curators. Over the next few years we will also create two posts for Indian curators to join us in the curatorial seminar," he said.

MacGregor was part of the delegation which interacted with alumni of the Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT) programme at a gallery in the national capital.

The CWIT offers UK fellowships to young Indians working in the arts and heritage conservation in India.

"It is very important for us to work with our India colleagues. At the moment we are looking at textiles and we hope to develop conservation methods," said MacGregor.

The British Museum is putting up an exhibition in London of textile material from all the Commonwealth countries, including India which is set to host the Commonwealth Games this October.

Meanwhile, Dame Lynne Janie Brindley, director, British Library, who is also part of the delegation said, "We want to do more exhibitions... want to work with scholars, digitalise the collections using technology in order to get the whole picture of the common legacy between India and Britain."

"We are all keen to build on existing level of relations. There are many opportunities to share mutual benefits in this short visit...," she said.

The delegation also comprised MP Jeremy Hunt, secretary of state for culture, Olympics, media and sport; Adam Smith, special advisor, department of culture, media and sport and Vernon Ellis, chair of the British Council.

Selected works by the CWIT alumni displayed at the art gallery which mounted an exhibition by contemporary artists Kishore Chakraborty, Anand Moy Banerjee, Manisha Bhattacharya, Sushanta Guha, Mithu Sen, Datta Treya Apte, Kavita Nayyar, Ela
Mukherjee and Reyaz Badaruddin.