Time to make Bengal global beacon of culture again, says Shah
Times of India | 20 July 2026
Kolkata: It was time Bengal, once “a global beacon of Indian consciousness”, was made capable of awakening the consciousness of the entire world, despite recent efforts to alienate the state from mainstream culture, said Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday. Present at the inauguration of Museum of Word at the National Library, Shah emphasised the role of language in shaping a civilisation, and urged people never to forget their mother tongue even while embracing India’s multilingual ethos.
Asserting that the country had no place for narrow-mindedness, Shah said, “We never tried to control any ideology or create obstacles to anyone’s beliefs. Narrow-mindedness cannot be a hallmark of Indian culture.” He added that he had written to CM Suvendu Adhikari a letter expressing his feelings about Bengali language and culture and hoped the CM would fulfil his expectations.
“Foreign ideas had tried to keep Bengal separated from the nation. But there is a change in Bengal now. It will again emerge as the beacon of Indian consciousness,” Shah said.
While saying that the language spoken in a family was the first mode of learning for a child, Shah said every student should learn at least one other Indian language “to better appreciate the country’s cultural diversity”. “Language has a scientific base and evolves over time. We seem to have forgotten our ‘bhusha’ (traditional outfit), but we should not forget our ‘bhasha’ (language),” he added.
Calling the opening of the museum an important step for the development of Indian culture, Shah pointed out the role of PM Narendra Modi in conceptualising the first-of-its-kind museum. “I believe that the museum will play a vital role in the cultural resurgence of India. Words will continue to enrich future generations for ages to come. India has never put a blockade to new thoughts. It has embraced and accommodated whatever is good,” he said.
The Museum of Word (Shabdalok) is India’s first immersive language museum. Created by the National Library and National Council of Science Museum, it features nine interactive galleries and advanced technologies like RFID devices. There are acoustic hallways to celebrate India’s linguistic diversity and storytelling traditions.