Kolkata: On Wednesday, the Indian wing of UNESCO issued a statement in its Twitter handle, where it said “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 characterized by large-scale installations and pavilions in urban areas, as well as by traditional Bengali drumming and veneration of the goddess. During the event, the divides of class, religion, and ethnicities collapse as crowds of spectators walk around to admire the installations.”
The decision to include Kolkata’s Durga Puja in the cultural heritage list was taken at the 16 Inter-governmental meetings of UNESCO in Paris. Earlier the Sankirtana Song tradition of Manipur in 2013, the brass handicrafts of Punjab in 2014 and Indian Yoga in 2016, and Kumbhmela in 2017 found places in UNESCO’s cultural heritage list.
An annual festival, Durga Puja is celebrated in different parts of the country, but most notably in Kolkata. It marks the ten-day worship of goddess Durga which involves artisanal sculptures of the goddess sculpted from clay pulled from the Ganga.
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The famous Chou dance of Purulia in West Bengal is also on the same list. The state government made a formal application to UNESCO for this recognition and finally on Wednesday UNESCO approved that.
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A matter of great pride and joy for every Indian!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 15, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
Durga Puja highlights the best of our traditions and ethos. And, Kolkata’s Durga Puja is an experience everyone must have. https://t.co/DdRBcTGGs9
">A matter of great pride and joy for every Indian!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 15, 2021
Durga Puja highlights the best of our traditions and ethos. And, Kolkata’s Durga Puja is an experience everyone must have. https://t.co/DdRBcTGGs9A matter of great pride and joy for every Indian!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 15, 2021
Durga Puja highlights the best of our traditions and ethos. And, Kolkata’s Durga Puja is an experience everyone must have. https://t.co/DdRBcTGGs9
Modi tweeted on Wednesday, "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."
