INDIA, December 17, 2021 (Indian Express): Unesco’s Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on Wednesday put “Durga Puja in Kolkata” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Committee is meeting virtually in its 16th Session from December 13 to 18. Eric Falt, director of UNESCO New Delhi, said he was “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….” Although celebrated across the country and in neighboring Bangladesh, the heart of the 10-day annual Sharodotsav festival is in Kolkata, where more than 3,000 community Durga Pujas are held, apart from a large number of pujas in Bengali households.
According to UNESCO, “cultural heritage does not end at monuments and collections of objects”, but “also includes traditions or living expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to our descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.” Intangible cultural heritage, according to UNESCO, is “traditional, contemporary and living at the same time” “inclusive”, “representative” and “community-based.” It is “an important factor in maintaining cultural diversity in the face of growing globalization” — and “an understanding of the intangible cultural heritage of different communities helps with intercultural dialogue, and encourages mutual respect for other ways of life.”
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/kolkata-durga-puja-unesco-heritage-tag-explained-7675943/