Kolkata's Durga Puja declared 'Intangible Cultural Heritage' by UNESCO, PM Modi calls it 'matter of pride'

UNESCO on Wednesday declared that the Durga Puja celebration in Kolkata has been inscribed on the agency's list of 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity'. The decision to make Durga Puja a part of the 'Intangible Heritage' list was taken at the 16th session of the annual convention of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Durga Puja is celebrated all across the country but the annual festival witnesses a marvelous festivity in Kolkata for a notably longer span of time with the state being the core of Bengalis from all over the nation. The ten-day-long festival involves artisanal sculptures of the goddess sculpted from clay pulled from the Ganga and preparation of bhog among other cultural programmes.
 

Key Points:

1. UNESCO's committee said that 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. They also commented on how beautifully all people are involved in the preparations including the marginalized groups and women.

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2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the decision was a matter of great pride and joy for every Indian and also emphasized that the Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata is an experience everyone must-have. "Durga Puja highlights the best of our traditions and ethos. And, Kolkata's Durga Puja is an experience everyone must have," PM Modi wrote on Twitter.

3."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," West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee wrote on Twitter. She further said that all people are now beaming with joy as DurgaPuja has been added to the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

4. “I would like to offer warm congratulations to India, its people, and especially all those who worked on the nomination dossier. I am confident that this inscription will offer encouragement to the local communities that celebrate Durga Puja, including all the traditional craftspeople, designers, artists, and organizers of large-scale cultural events, as well as tourists and visitors who partake in the inclusive festivity that is Durga Puja,” said the director of UNESCO New Delhi, Eric Falt.

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5. The Saint John celebrations in Venezuela, the Corpus Christi festival celebrated in Panama and the Bolivian Grand Festival of Tarija are among the others included in the list of 'Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity' by UNESCO.