Culture Ministry celebrates inclusion of Durga Puja as Representative List of ICH of Humanity by UNESCO

Kolkata, Aug 29: Union Ministry of Culture along Sangeet Natak Akademi, the designated nodal agency for ICH, organized the celebration of successful inscription of ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the Representative List of ICH of Humanity in 2021. ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ was inscribed on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during its 16th session held in French capital Paris, from Dec 13 to Dec 18, last year.

 

 

 

 

On this occasion, a two-day Capacity Building Workshop on ICH was also inaugurated at National Museum. Tim Curtis, Secretary, Convention for Safeguarding the Intangible Culture Heritage, UNESCO, spoke about the developments in UNESCO’s 2003 ICH Convention. He stated that UNESCO will now accept ICH dossiers in the language of the practitioners, along with English or French version for the evaluation. He added that non formal education is something the UNESCO convention has been working on for four years. He also said that since safeguarding living heritage involves transmitting the knowledge to the next generation, education becomes central to this process.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joint Secretary Ministry of Culture, Lily Pandeya said, “India is a member of almost all of the UNESCO Cultural Conventions and Programs. With 40 UNESCO World Heritage sites, 14 intangible cultural heritage elements inscribed on the Representative List – the latest being Durga Puja of Kolkata, 9 documentary heritage elements recognized in the International Memory of the World Register, and 6 creative cities, India continues to strengthen the intercultural dialogue among nations.” She also added, “The 2-day Capacity Building National Workshop reflects our commitment to further the 4 aims of UNESCO ICH convention.”

 

  

To celebrate the spirit of Durga puja, a mesmerizing dance ballet- Devi Rising was presented by the renowned Odissi dancer and Sangeet Natak Akademi awardee Sharmila Biswas and her troupe from Kolkata. Performance by Sharmila Biswas was followed by the screening of a short documentary film titled “Diverse expressions of Intangible India.”