On display are rare artefacts, photographs and short films of the awardees
BANGALORE: The Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum in Bangalore is hosting a rare consignment from the Centennial Exhibition of Nobel Museum in Stockholm.
A piece of the original mould of the penicillin discovered by the 1945 Nobel prize for medicine winner, Sir Alfred Fleming, is one of many artefacts on display at the exhibition. Also on display are letters written by the Kim Dae-jung, President of South Korea and Nobel Prize for peace winner on 2000, brokering peace between North Korea and South Korea.
As the nation’s hub for science and technology, Bangalore was the preferred destination for the Indian leg of the tour. “Swedish newspapers often refer to Bangalore as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’. It was a natural choice being home to IT companies and world class institutions like the Indian Institute of Science and Indian Space Research Organisation,” says Svante Lindquvist, Noble museum director.
Founded by Swede industrialist Alfred Nobel in 1901, a Nobel Prize celebrates the creative genius of men, women and organisations in the fields of medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace. Since its inception, 776 Nobel prizes have been awarded. The exhibition, paying homage to the spirit of innovation, has travelled across Europe and parts of Asia.
The exhibition will stay in India till August 31. It comprises photographs, short films and artefacts owned by awardees. Visitors can also catch a glimpse of the rare, personal book collection of Nobel.
Creativity is the central theme of the exhibition, which features the lives and achievements of 30 Nobel awardees. Some Indian Nobel laureates included in the exhibition are economist Amartya Sen, poet and writer Rabindranath Tagore, and Mother Teresa.
“We chose creativity, because it has a longer shelf life,” says Lindquvist. “Alfred Nobel would have disapproved of the present trend of countries competing for the top spot in terms of medals won by their countrymen. A practice which equates the Nobel Prize to Olympic medals,” he adds.
