Shanghai Cooperation Organisation – Virtual exhibition

India has launched the first-ever SCO Online Exhibition on Shared Buddhist Heritage. The launch happened during the 19^th Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of Government (SCO CHG), held in New Delhi. India highlighted that the cross-border terrorism is the biggest challenge for the SCO countries.

SCO Online International Exhibition:

Developed by: First ever of its kind the exhibition was developed and curated by the National Museum, New Delhi, in active collaboration with SCO member countries.

Participants: Museums from India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Significance:
Buddhist Connection: Buddhist philosophy and art of Central Asia connects SCO countries to each other and present an excellent opportunity for visitors to access, appreciate and compare Buddhist art antiquities from SCO countries on a single platform.

Knowledge about Different Schools of Buddhism: The visitors can explore the Indian Buddhist treasures from the Gandhara and Mathura Schools, Nalanda, Amaravati, Sarnath, etc. in a 3D virtual format.

Difference between Mathura and Gandhara School of Art

Although both the Mathura and Gandhara schools of Art share some rudimentary similarities between themselves, there are some fundamental differences between the two: which is highlighted in the table given below:

Artistic Wealth and Excellence: The international exhibition gives a glimpse of the artistic wealth displayed in various museums across Asia and also represents the artistic excellence embedded within an eclectic historical timeline.

Features:
The Pakistan Hall depicts the life of Gautama Buddha and buddhist art through a collection of impressive Gandhara art objects including fasting Siddhartha and footprint of Buddha from Sikri, meditating Buddha from Sahri Bahlol, miracle of Sravasti from Gandhara, etc.

The State Oriental Art Museum, Moscow contributed objects which depict the Buddhist Buryat Art of Russia through icons, ritual objects, monastery traditions etc.

The Dunhuang Academy of China contributed a rich digital collection on Buddhist art which includes ingenious architecture, resplendent murals, decorative designs, costumes etc.

India's stands on Terrorism: India raised the issue of terrorism at the meeting and highlighted it as the enemy of humanity. It expressed its concerns about state-sponsored terrorism and in particular cross-border terrorism.
India supports the BRICS Counter-Terrorism Strategy

Recently, India’s annual resolution on the issue of counter-terrorism was adopted by consensus in the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

India also criticised Pakistan for using terrorism as a instrument of state policy and called upon the members of SCO to fight it collectively.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

• It is a permanent intergovernmental international organisation and a Eurasian political, economic and military organisation aiming to maintain peace, security and stability in the region created in 2001.
• The SCO is widely regarded as the "Alliance of the East", due to its growing centrality in Asia-Pacific, and has been the primary security pillar of the region.
• It is the largest regional organisation in the world in terms of geographical coverage and population, covering three-fifths of the Eurasian continent and nearly half of the human population.
• Members: Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan.
• Observer states Afghanistan, Belarus, Iran and Mongolia.
• Dialogue Partners: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Cambodia, Nepal, Turkey and Sri Lanka.