PM Modi, Amit Shah express joy as UNESCO accords Durga Puja festival Heritage status

On Wednesday, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) accorded heritage status to West Bengal's Durga Puja festival. The festival of Durga Puja has been added to the UN body's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a move that has been hailed by the people of the state. The decision comes during the 16th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which is currently underway.

As the joyful news was shared by UNESCO via their Twitter handle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed joy. PM Modi took to Twitter and wrote in Bengali language, "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."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed his happiness in a message posted on the microblogging site. He wrote, "The auspicious Durga Puja reflects India’s splendid cultural heritage and spirit of unity. It is great to learn that this iconic festival has been inscribed on UNESCO’s #IntangibleHeritage list. Every Indian is immensely proud."

On December 15, UNESCO tweeted, "BREAKING Durga Puja in Kolkata has just been inscribed on the #IntangibleHeritage list. Congratulations #India!" 

How did UNESCO describe Durga Puja? 

On their official website, UNESCO has stated, "Durga Puja is an annual festival celebrated in September or October, most notably in Kolkata, in West Bengal of India, but also in other parts of India and amongst the Bengali diaspora. It marks the ten-day worship of the Hindu mother-goddess Durga. In the months preceding the festival, small artisanal workshops sculpt images of Durga and her family using unfired clay pulled from the Ganga River. The worship of the goddess then begins on the inaugural day of Mahalaya, when eyes are painted onto the clay images to bring the goddess to life. It ends on the tenth day when the images are immersed in the river from where the clay came."

It further read "Thus, the festival has also come to signify ‘home-coming’ or a seasonal return to one’s roots. 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."

Image: PIB/PTI