Unesco durga puja

Kolkata's Durga Puja festival has become the latest event to be inscribed in the ‘Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). A Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata, West Bengal.(HT File Photo) With this, as many as 14 events that represent India's tradition and culture have been inducted in the list. Taking to Twitter on Wednesday, UNESCO hailed the moment and congratulated India. “Durga Puja in Kolkata has just been inscribed on the Intangible Heritage list. Congratulations India,” the tweet read. This is the one of many additions from eastern India in the prestigious list, with Chhau dance being the latest after being inscribed in 2020. Originated in Odisha, the traditional dance form is also widely popular in West Bengal and Jharkhand. “Durga Puja is seen as the best instance of the public performance of religion and art, and as thriving ground for collaborative artists and designers. The festival is characterised by large-scale installations and pavilions in urban areas, as well as traditional Bengali drumming and veneration of the goddess,” the official statement by UNESCO read. During the Durga Puja festival, the statement added, the divides of “class, religion and ethnicities collapse” as spectators roam around to view the installations - commonly known as ‘pandals’ or ‘mandaps’. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to acknowledge the joyous moment, calli...

A team of officials of UNESCO led by Eric Falt, Director of New Delhi Cluster office, arrived in Kolkata on Thursday to participate in pre-Durga Puja festivities. Four teams of the UN body will visit about 50 Durga Puja pandals in different parts of the city during their three-day visit. The team started from Town Hall where various artisans had put up an ‘An Exhibition: Making of Durga Puja Art’. Different stages of idol-making as well as lighting and decoration of pandals have been highlighted at the exhibition. In December 2021, `Durga Puja in Kolkata’ was included in UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Earlier this month the State government organised a grand rally to celebrate the recognition and invited UNESCO representatives. Participating in the event, Mr. Falt who is also the Director of UNESCO Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka said that Durga Puja celebrates what is best about its intangible cultural heritage. Even though there was still a week left for the festivities to start, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee started with the inauguration of Sree Bhumi Sporting Club Durga Puja, FD Block in Salt Lake and Tala Pratyay in north Kolkata. At the inauguration of Sree Bhumi Durga Puja, she urged the organisers to ensure that there was no traffic blockage. This year the State government has increased the honorarium to clubs organising community Durga Pujas from ₹50,000 to ₹60,000. The cash incentive would cost ₹250 crore to the State exchequer. There a...

In Kolkata, small artisanal workshops sculpt images of the goddess Durga and her family using unfired clay pulled from the Ganga River ahead of the Durga Puja. ©UNESCO New Delhi Durga Puja is a festival celebrated annually in Kolkata, in West Bengal, and in other parts of India. After a disruption of two years due to COVID-19, the 2022 celebrations are taking place from 1st to 5th of October. In the months preceding the festival, small artisanal workshops sculpt images of the goddess Durga and her family using unfired clay pulled from the Ganga River. A massive rally was organized by local authorities for the occasion, showing the importance of the inscription of the element on the Lists of the 2003 Convention and how meaningful it is for the communities. UNESCO team members also had the pleasure to visit bearers’ workshops where idols-making (‘Kumartuli’) is taking place. Pictures on the right show the artisans demonstrating their savoir-faire in situ. Visits to “ICH Hubs” as part of an ongoing project that aims to promote community-based responsible tourism. ©UNESCO New Delhi A visit to the villages Barnawa Jageer, Chopasani, and Salawas in Rajasthan was also organized as part of the ongoing project that aims to promote community-based responsible tourism. UNESCO New Delhi has been coordinating this project for many years, first starting in West Bengal and now taking place in Rajasthan, in cooperation with local stakeholders. Tim Curtis and colleagues from UNESCO New Deh...

Inscription in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity - 2021. Durga Puja is an annual festival celebrated in the fall in India and Bangladesh. It marks the ten-day worship of the Hindu mother-goddess Durga. Characterized by Bengali drumming, large-scale installations and clay sculptures made from unfired clay from the Ganga River, the festival has come to signify ‘home-coming’ or a seasonal return to one’s roots. During the event, the divides of class, religion and ethnicities collapse as crowds of spectators walk around to admire the installations. Durga Puja is transmitted by families, art centres and traditional media, among others. on this subject: Place/region: India, Asia and the Pacific Series: Inscriptions on the Intangible Heritage Lists Type: Duration: 9min Production and personalities: Director: Meghdut Rudra, Ramprashad Gain Producer: Meghdut Rudra, Ramprashad Gain Coproducer/sponsor: India. Ministry of Culture Published in: 2011 Rights: India. Ministry of Culture; UNESCO

The coming Durga Puja will be extra special in Kolkata. The celebration has been inscribed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity by UNESCO. It is the 14th Indian event on the list, the others include Yoga, Vedic Chanting, Buddhist Chanting in Ladakh, Chau Dance, Ramlila, Navroz and Kumbh Mela. While Kolkata's Durga Puja got the UNESCO inscription late last year, the formal functions are happening only now, with the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions. Secretary of UNESCO's Convention for Safeguarding the Intangible Culture Heritage, Tim Curtis and Eric Falt, who is director and representative of the UNESCO office in New Delhi attended a function at the National Museum in New Delhi on Saturday to celebrate the inscription. The UNESCO team will head to Kolkata next month, ahead of the start of the festival, to join the city's enthusiasm on getting the inscription. Falt said that nowhere in the world are there so many proud traditions as in India. The country's living heritage represents a gold mine for India, he said. India is one of the early signatories to the ICH convention. The ICH convention will complete 20 years next year. It is an important time for India as the country has been elected a committee member for the next four years, said Curtis. According to UNESCO, Intangible Cultural Heritage indicates 'the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills – as well as the instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated therewith – ...

Synopsis Kolkata’s Durga Puja has been officially recognised by UNESCO. Yes, the incredible cultural feast has made it to the UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The news came as a great reason to celebrate for … Kolkata’s Durga Puja has been officially recognised by UNESCO. Yes, the incredible cultural feast has made it to the UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. The news came as a great reason to celebrate for Indians, especially Bengalis. • Delhi-Leh: Country’s highest altitude bus service is back on the road • Kerala Tourism to launch app for solo women travellers • UK announces entry fee for travellers While it is a moment of pride for India, it is in fact a moment of pride for all of Asia. This is the first festival in Asia to achieve the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity status. West Bengal’s Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee took to twitter, and wrote, “Proud moment for Bengal! To every #Bengali across the world, Durga Puja is much more than a festival, it is an emotion that unites everyone. And now, #DurgaPuja has been added to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We are all beaming with joy!” The decision was taken in Durga Puja is celebrated in Kolkata with great pomp and show when the city completely halts for five days. The festival sees beautiful ornamental pandals being made, wherein large idols of Goddess Durga and her children are placed for worship. A celebr...

According to UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage is defined by "practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills including instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated with communitiesand groups". It also recognises individuals in some cases as a part of "cultural heritage".