New Parliament to feature artwork, reflect Indian ethos

The new building will have six granite statues devoted to personalities, four galleries each for the two Houses of Parliament, three ceremonial foyers, as many India galleries, and one Constitution gallery, it is learnt.

“Each wall [in the building] will have a theme that reflects a certain aspect,” a source said. “For instance, one wall will be dedicated to the contribution of tribal leaders, while another will showcase the contribution of women. There is a mix of portraits, illustrative arts, installations, sculptures and decorative art — storylines will be created through displays.”

Adequate focus has been put on the Indian knowledge tradition, Bhakti tradition, the Indian scientific tradition, as well as monuments, an official said.

The artworks will depict Indian ethos and identity — civilisational as well as cultural, the official added.

However, this official said, it has been kept in mind that Parliament building is not a public gallery or a museum, so there is no scope for immersive art or high technology, even though digital displays will be used at some places. Institutions such as MS University in Vadodara and IIT-Kharagur, besides several big independent names and lesser-known artists, have been roped in for the task, it is learnt.

The Culture Ministry has formed three panels for planning the interiors of the new building, with a tentative deadline of September-October this year. The panels have academics, historians, artists, archaeologists and officials from the ministries of Culture and Urban Development. They are responsible for sourcing, monitoring and installing the works.

The advisory committee has been tasked with research and academic inputs. There are two other panels: the ‘high-powered committee for content and display’ is headed by Culture Secretary Govind Mohan and the one for ‘executing overall works of art installation’ is headed by Sachchidanand Joshi, member-secretary, Indira Gandhi National Centre of Arts, according to official orders issued last month.