UNESCO team to visit Kolkata for Durga Puja celebrations after festival added to Intangible Cultural Heritage list

By Ashoke Raj
New Delhi [India], August 22 : UNESCO Director Eric Falt along with his team will be visiting Kolkata next week for celebrations of Durga Puja after it was added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list last December.
Speaking with ANI about his visit to Kolkata next week, the UNESCO Director said, "I will be visiting Kolkata together with my colleague next week together with my colleague from Paris... first we will have events here in New Delhi with central government and then we will move on to Kolkata and also we are going to Rajasthan... indeed in Kolkata we will be having celebrations of Durga Puja which was inscribed on the UNESCO cultural heritage representative last year."
"It is a wonderful celebration and I think India has many festivals and definitely it's one of the most important. You may know also that India has nominated Garba to be inscribed in 2022 -- the next meeting of the UNESCO will take place in November," he added.
Moreover, UNESCO and Royal Enfield, the oldest motorcycle brand, have come together in a special partnership to promote and safeguard the Intangible Cultural Heritage of India, beginning with the Himalayas.
Speaking with ANI in Delhi, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) Director said, "Everybody knows UNESCO through its world heritage sites and for 20 years we have also worked across India with the government of India to promote and safeguard the intangible cultural heritage, the living heritage of the country that goes from music to old traditions to arts and crafts and much more."
However, he added that "there are areas that are often not very well known that often represent the livelihood of the communities around the country. And as part of this, we have decided to partner with Royal Enfield because on a motorbike you can go to places where you probably cannot go with a car or will take a long time walking."
Commenting on this unique partnership, the UNESCO Director said that "we meet the communities, understand what their heritage is and their culture and their identity so that they can be hopefully better recognized and better safeguarded."
Moreover, speaking on the vast tangible and intangible culture of India he noted, "Hopefully we are going to start documenting a hundred practices in the North-East and hopefully there will be a lot of Indian riders who will be going. It is important that people in India also know about their own heritage."
"There is less knowledge and less recognition about the Intangible cultural heritage practices of North-East. Therefore, we are hoping to bring a spotlight on these areas. There are many heritage practices in Rajasthan as well and motorcycles are most apt to reach these distant locations."
UNESCO Director said that the government of India is pushing the private sectors in regard to their cooperative social responsibility. "I am glad that Royal Enfield is taking this responsibility very seriously."
UNESCO on December 15 inscribed "Durga Puja in Kolkata" on the "Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity". "Congratulations! Durga puja is now inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity! 14 ICH elements from India have been inscribed on this list by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage," UNESCO had tweeted.
Following the announcement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his delight calling it a "great pride and joy" for the countrymen. Taking to Twitter, the Prime Minister said, "A matter of great pride and joy for every Indian! Durga Puja highlights the best of our traditions and ethos. And, Kolkata's Durga Puja is an experience everyone must have."
Celebrated in Shukla Paksha of the month Ashwin in the Hindu calendar (September-October), Durga Puja is the major annual festival in West Bengal. It is also celebrated in other parts of India and especially amongst the Bengali diaspora.
The 10-day festival marks the worship of Goddess Durga. Months before the festival, artisanal workshops in Kolkata sculpt idols of Durga and her children (Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh) using unfired clay from the river bed of Ganga.
The festival marks its beginning on the day of Mahalaya when the ritual of 'pran pratistha' is done by painting the eyes on the goddess idol. Sasthi, Saptami, Ashtami...every day the festival has its own significance and set of rituals. The celebrations culminate on the tenth day known as Vijaya Dashami when the idols are immersed in the river from where the clay was sourced.
The significance of Durga Puja goes beyond religion and is revered as the celebration of compassion, brotherhood, humanity, art and culture. The city of Kolkata turns into a dazzling diva with the decoration of colourful lights. The sound of 'dhaak' reverberates across the city. From new clothes to delicious food, there remains a merry-go-round mood during these days.