INDIA’S Deepavali -- the festival of lights -- was on Wednesday inscribed on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, sparking celebrations to mark the earning of the coveted tag. The decision was taken during a key meeting of UNESCO being hosted at the Red Fort in Delhi. Chants of ‘Jai Hind’, ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ rent the air as UNESCO announced that the celebrated festival has been added to the prestigious list after a discussion by its committee.

 

Artistes dressed in different traditional attire performed in front of the main stage while images of the Deepavali festival played on the big screen. Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the addition of Deepavali to the UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage List, saying it will contribute to the festival’s global popularity. “People in India and around the world are thrilled,” PM Modi said in a post on X, responding to a post from UNESCO listing Deepavali in its Intangible Heritage List.

 

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat delivered a statement on behalf of the country right after the inscription was announced during the 20th session of Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH). This is the sixteenth element from India to be inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

 

Fifteen other elements already inscribed on this UNESCO list include the Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja of Kolkata, Garba dance of Gujarat, yoga, the tradition of Vedic chanting and Ramlila - the traditional performance of the epic ‘Ramayana’. Shekhawat and other members of the Indian contingent sported a traditional headgear to mark the occasion. “Deepavali” -- the festival of lights -- is one of the timeless festivals of India.