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NEW DELHI: To mark his birth anniversary, Prime Ministers Museum and Library (PMML) has opened to visitors a special exhibition on the life and legacy of former PM P V Narasimha Rao. The exhibition at Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya located in Teen Murti Bhavan will continue till June 30. The exhibition “A Statesman’s Journey: P V Narasimha Rao” was inaugurated by PMML Executive Council chairman Nripendra Misra Saturday and showcases a collection of rare photographs, official documents, speeches, correspondence and archival materials. Rao was born on June 28, 1921, in Karimnagar district of erstwhile Hyderabad state. He passed away on Dec 23, 2004. Sunday marked his 105th birth anniversary. The exhibition highlights how Rao began his public life as a student leader during the anti-Nizam Vande Mataram movement and emerged as an important participant in India’s freedom struggle. Over the decades, he served the nation in several key capacities, including as CM of Andhra Pradesh and as minister for external affairs, home affairs and defence. He served as PM from June 21, 1991, to May 16, 1996, and was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in 2024 in recognition of his exceptional service to the nation. The exhibition highlights Rao’s role in steering India through a period of profound economic challenge and initiating reforms for liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation that reshaped the nation’s economic landscape. The displays also allow a peek into Rao’s multifaceted personality as a scholar, freedom fighter, reformer and visionary leader who helped redefine India’s place in the global order. “Through this exhibition, Pradhanmantri Sangrahalaya aims to celebrate the enduring legacy of the statesman, often remembered as the architect of modern, globalised India, and to promote greater awareness of his contributions among students, researchers and the general public,” PMML said in a statement. From June 26 to 27, PMML had showcased the life and legacy of former PM Vishwanath Pratap Singh. A display of 19 paintings by Singh was a special highlight of the exhibition. These paintings were acquired and preserved by the founder of Aryan Art Gallery.
