Lifelike holobox of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to mark 88th anniversary of Operation Polo and PM Modi's birthday

New Delhi: To commemorate the 88th anniversary of Operation Polo (the annexation of Hyderabad) and to celebrate the Prime Minister's 75th birthday, the Pradhan Mantri Sangrahlaya is unveiling a lifelike holobox of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Visitors will be able to have lifelike, interactive conversations with a hyper-realistic 3D avatar of the 'Iron Man of India'.

The ministry, to commemorate the PM’s birthday on Wednesday, will auction 1,300 gifts that he received last year, Union minister of culture Gajendra Sekhawat said. The gifts include an embroidered Pashmina shawl from Jammu & Kashmir, a Tanjore painting of Ram Durbar, a metallic statue of Nataraja, Gujarati Rogan Art depicting the Tree of Life and a handwoven Naga shawl.

The holobox of Sardar Patel will be life-size and the interactions will be powered by Artificial Intelligence. “This pioneering initiative, blended with cutting-edge technology, creates a deeply engaging and educational experience where visitors can pose questions and receive answers on the leader’s life, philosophies, and pivotal moments in India’s history,” the ministry said in a release. Taking this initiative further, the Sangrahalaya is now working towards building a similar holobox for APJ Abdul Kalam.

The government said that the date was specifically chosen as 77 years ago, in 1948, on this day Operation Polo, by which Hyderabad was liberated from the Nizam’s rule and integrated into the Indian Union, proved to be a success. The government said that this was made possible by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s “resolute commitment to national unity”.

“This AI-powered Holobox is more than just a technological marvel. It is a bridge between the past and the present — an effort to make the wisdom of our great leaders accessible and engaging to younger generations. Sardar Patel unified India geographically; through this, we aspire to unify India’s youth with its historical consciousness,” said Ashwani Lohani, Director, Prime Ministers Museum & Library.

Union minister Gajendra Shekhawat said that the 1,300 gifts that will be auctioned include paintings, artefacts, sculptures, idols of god and goddesses and some sports items. One of the key highlights this year are the sports memorabilia gifted by India’s para-athletes who participated in the Paris Paralympics 2024. The items are currently on display at the NGMA in New Delhi, and visitors can see the items before placing bids. All proceeds from the event will go to the Namami Gange Project.

The auction series started in January 2019 and since then, more than Rs 50 crore has been collected. Last year, there was a dip in sales.