Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah inaugurated the first phase of the 'Museum of Word' in Kolkata, West Bengal. The inauguration was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta, Union Home Secretary, Union Culture Secretary, Director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), and other dignitaries.
The Museum of Word represents Prime Minister Narendra Modi's initiative for cultural renaissance of the nation. The museum chronicles the entire journey of language—from Omkar to grammar, the Shruti and Smriti traditions, palm-leaf manuscripts, stone inscriptions, and the printing press to Artificial Intelligence. It aims to preserve India's multilingual consciousness, knowledge traditions, and collective memory through visual, auditory, and immersive experiences.
Shah emphasized that the museum should be expanded to encompass digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence to enable Indian languages to evolve with future technologies. He outlined five principles for language preservation: every family should become the first school of learning, education should begin in mother tongue, universities should become centers of original thought, Indian languages should be made digitally and AI-enabled, and libraries/museums should reach youth through outreach campaigns.
The museum houses artifacts including inscriptions, copper plates, Bhojpatra manuscripts, handwritten manuscripts, and a collection of printed books. It also preserves numerous dialects, languages, and folk traditions from every region of India. Shah noted that Bengal has historically been a global beacon of India's civilizational consciousness and expressed confidence that under current leadership, Bengal would re-emerge as a radiant beacon of Indian consciousness.
The inauguration coincided with the 150th anniversary of Vande Mataram and followed the conferment of Classical Language status on Bengali in 2024. Shah connected the museum's mission to India's broader vision of becoming 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047 and re-establishing itself as Vishwa Guru (world teacher).