PM Modi dedicated India’s first earthquake memorial, named Smriti Van at Bhuj in Gujarat on August 28th. Smriti Van is a unique memorial carrying the names of more than 12 thousand people who lost their lives in the devastating earthquake that struck here in January 2001.
- Smritivan celebrates the spirit of resilience shown by the people of Gujarat following the 2001 earthquake.
- Smritivan is a museum built as a tribute to those who lost their lives in the earthquake on January 26, 2001.
- The earthquake killed over 12,000 people in Kutch. The memorial carries the names of the people who had lost their lives during the earthquake. Mr. Modi had resolved to build a museum during his tenure as the chief minister of Gujarat.
- The museum is spread over 11,500 square meters and has eight blocks and a gallery, along with a simulator theatre.
- The state-of-the-art Smritivan Earthquake Museum is segregated into seven blocks based on seven themes — rebirth, rediscover, restore, rebuild, rethink, relive and renew.
- Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated ‘Veer Balak Smarak’, a memorial in Kutch as a tribute to 185 schoolchildren and 20 teachers killed during the earthquake.
- This novel memorial is spread across 470 acres of land and is built atop Bhujiyo hill. The earthquake simulator will provide real like experience of earthquake tremors to visitors.
- The state of the art Smriti Van Earthquake Museum is segregated in seven blocks based on seven themes: Rebirth, Rediscover, Restore, Rebuild, Rethink, Relive and Renew. The first block is based on the theme Rebirth depicting Earth’s evolution and ability of the earth to overcome every time. The second block showcases Gujarat’s topography and various natural disasters that the state is vulnerable to. The third block takes one back to the immediate aftermath after the 2001 earthquake. Galleries in this block address the massive relief effort undertaken by individuals as well as organisations. The fourth block showcases Gujarat’s rebuilding initiatives and success stories post 2001 earthquake. The fifth block prompts the visitor to think and learn about different types of disasters and future readiness for any type of disaster at any time. The sixth block helps us to relive the experience of an earthquake with the help of a simulator. The experience is designed in a 5D simulator and is meant to give the visitor the ground reality of an event at this scale. The seventh block provides people with a space for remembrance where they can pay homage to the lost souls.
