In G20 year, India is getting 'world ready', world is getting 'India ready': S Jaishankar

Jaishankar said every citizen of this beautifully diverse country must take pride in their heritage and conservation.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday said in India's G20 presidency year, the country is getting "world ready" and the world is getting "India ready". Jaishankar inaugurated the refurbished Golden Haveli in Chandni Chowk.

The haveli has been refurbished by BJP leader Vijay Goel who also gave a tour of the haveli to Jaishankar.

"Pleased to inaugurate Golden Haveli Dharampura today. Thank Vijay Goel for the opportunity. Promoting our culture & heritage, generating tourism and expanding employment go hand in hand," Jaishankar tweeted along with pictures from the event. "In the G20 year, India is getting 'world ready' and the world is getting 'India ready'," he said.

The haveli is situated in the heart of Chandni Chowk near Kinari Bazar. According to a statement issued by Goel, Jaishankar said every citizen of this beautifully diverse country must take pride in their heritage and conservation.

"All of us today are very much committed to preserving...and taking forward with dedication our culture and heritage," he said.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the Haveli, Jaishankar said promoting culture and heritage, generating tourism and expanding employment go hand in hand. "Tourism is the most powerful remunerative industry in the world today and is also the most employment-friendly industry and the focus of the government is on tourism, employment, culture and heritage," the statement quoting Jaishankar said.

In his address, Goel informed that it took four years to restore 'Golden Haveli'. "I used to regularly visit 'Golden Haveli' not only to see the restoration work but also worked day and night with the workers," Goel said.

Goel also spoke about the religious connections that Chandni Chowk boasts of. He informed that the biggest challenge during the restoration was to keep the Haveli intact as the mansion was going down because of its weight.

Goel, who is also the president of Heritage India Foundation, said both the state and the central government should work together for the promotion of tourism in Chandni Chowk and development of the area, especially in terms of sanitation, security and to stop unauthorised construction. Goel said the Haveli is near the famous jeweller's market of Chandni Chowk, Dariba and Kinari Bazaar.

"If you go to the roof of the haveli, you can see Jama Masjid, Red Fort, Gaurishankar Temple, Jain Temple, and Gurudwara Sheeshganj. The elements used in the restoration were collected from across the country," said Goel, adding that one of the arch glasses is from Belgium," he said.

"I had visited cities like Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Aligarh to see and procure stones and materials to be used in this restoration work so that the originality of this heritage building was not lost," Goel added. The structure's architecture acts as a natural air conditioner and heater as seasons change, it said.

The Haveli is a significant heritage building, not only due to its distinct architectural features and traditional construction style but also due to the fact that it is a part of the wonderful ensemble in the historic core of the capital city, he said. Its distinctive feature is the central courtyard, which housed an 'anar' tree, whose miniature verity was brought from Persia and planted here.

Goel informed that the Haveli is open to tourists on all working days. The nearby Dharampura Haveli, which has also been restored by Goel, has been prepped up for housing guests from over 75 countries, the statement said.