Bismillah-ir-rahman-i-rahim

Honourable Minister of Tourism and Culture of India,
Director General, Archaeological Survey of India,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a pleasure to be with you here this evening.

Our gathering today celebrates the culmination of the initiative launched in 1997, when, to mark the 50th anniversary of India’s independence, His Highness the Aga Khan offered the nation and its capital the restoration of the gardens of Humayun’s Tomb.

So began, as a further chapter in a long-shared history, another fulfilling collaboration with the people and government of India.

The Humayun World Heritage Site Museum, inaugurated today, marks an accomplishment well beyond a building sensitively conceived within its landscape, its artefacts and its exhibits, and its intellectual offering. It marks a completion phase of the Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative, a model public-private partnership.

At the turn of the millennium, His Highness the Aga Khan began to envision this entire area as a coherent cultural ensemble in a 300 acre-landscape. Integral to that aspiration was the will to improve the quality of life of the residents of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti, and to revive crafts and artistic traditions in danger of disappearing.

Beyond the restoration of the iconic Tomb, its gardens, and another 60 monuments – 20 are which are on the UNESCO World Heritage list – the Initiative has created the 90-acre Sunder Nursery, has upgraded public open spaces, has improved school and healthcare facilities, has implemented education and health programmes, public sanitation, water and waste management schemes, and has sponsored cultural revival through festivals, concerts and performances.

For over two decades now, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture has been honoured to work alongside the Archaeological Survey of India, the Central Public Works Department, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, corporate and philanthropic partners, international donors, sister agencies within the Aga Khan Development Network, and, most importantly, with the citizens of Delhi and residents of Nizamuddin.

Together, we have strived to create for the world an exemplar of thoughtful, collaborative urban revitalisation.

Museums and historic landmarks preserve and reveal the story of humanity. Inherently, they are places that foster connections among people as we delve into our collective, intricate past, and consider how we can collaboratively shape a unified and better future.

The Museum thus serves as a link, not only joining Humayun’s Tomb with the Sunder Nursery, but also bridging the gap between history and the present.

Blended into the landscape and quietly sunken below gardens and fountains that surround finely crafted mausolea, the Museum will enhance the experience for millions of domestic and international tourists visiting the World Heritage Site. Within its walls, the story of Humayun’s life, travels, and legacy come alive.

The impact of this heritage was its commitment to pluralism, which is reflected in the distinctive architecture, literature, and customs that brought together diverse influences.

To enable a more profound understanding of the architecture and building craft traditions of the passing centuries, the Museum will shed light on the development of the Nizamuddin area over a millennium. It will, in the process, explain the pluralistic traditions that have defined Hindustani culture for at least five centuries.

The Museum could not have been realised without the support of the Ministry of Tourism, and that of Havells. Its exhibitions were funded in part by the United States Ambassadors Fund, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Avanee Foundation. The Saluja Trust provided the necessary funding for the Museum’s auditorium. We are all most grateful indeed for these generous contributions.

The Museum inscribes itself into the long and felicitous history of collaboration that the Aga Khan Development Network, and the institutions under the direction of the Ismaili Imamat, have forged over many decades with public and private organisations and civil society across India, for the benefit of all.

His Highness the Aga Khan will, I know, delight at the fact that the Museum assembles some 700 artefacts from the National Museum and the Archaeological Survey of India, some dating back to the 12th century. Together, they tell an important story of that time and this place.

I’ll conclude by quoting His Highness:

“As we walk through this place, we can feel a deep sense of connection with those who walked through similar gardens centuries ago. And by renewing our connection with the past, we can also connect more effectively with one another – and indeed with those who will walk these paths in the future.”

Thank you.