The Intergovernmental committee of UNESCO has inscribed ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
It is the first Asian festival to receive the prestigious recognition.
In July, 2022 India has been voted into the UNESCO’s prestigious Inter- Governmental Committee on ICH.
India has served as a member of the ICH Committee twice - from 2006 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018.
India will be a part of two Committees of UNESCO - Intangible Cultural Heritage (2022-2026) and World Heritage (2021-2025).
There are 24 members in the Intergovernmental Committee of the 2003 ICH Convention.
They are elected in the General Assembly of the Convention, according to the principles of equitable geographical representation and rotation.
States Members to the Committee are elected for a term of 4 years.
Nominations - The Sacred Ensembles of the Hoysala in Karnataka has been finalised as India’s nomination for consideration as World Heritage for 2022-23. It includes
Hoysaleshwar temple - Halebedu
Somanathpur temple - Somanathpur
Channakeshava temple - Belur
These protected monuments are on UNESCO’s tentative list since 2014.
Tentative List of UNESCO - Three monuments have been included as World Heritage in the Tentative List of UNESCO. It includes
Geoglyphs of Konkan region
Jing KiengJri, Living Root Bridge Cultural Landscapes, Meghalaya
Sri Veerbhadra Temple and Monolithic Bull (Nandi), Lepakshi (the Vijayanagara sculpture and Painting art tradition).
This takes the total number of sites/monuments of India in the Tentative List of UNESCO to 49.
MONDIACULT 2022
The UNESCO World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development (MONDIACULT 2022) was convened by UNESCO, 40 years after the 1st Mondiacult World Conference on Cultural Policies was held in Mexico in 1982.
India has participated in the conference.
It is the largest world conference devoted to culture.
States adopted the historic “Declaration for Culture” that affirms culture as a “global public good”.
EXHIBITIONS AND CONFERENCES
The International Day for Monuments and Sites/World Heritage Day was celebrated on 18th April.
International Mother Language Day was observed on 21st February to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism.
Partition Horrors Remembrance Day is observed on August 14 to ensure that the suffering of those millions of families, who suffered the pain of partition, does not disappear from our memories.
Silver Jubilee Celebration of Science City, Kolkata
Science City, Kolkata is a unit of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India.
It is the largest science centre in India.
Science City was opened in 1997 and consists of two facilities, the Science Centre and the Convention Centre.
CELEBRATION OF CULTURE
VandeBharatam- Nritya Utsav
VandeBharatam- Nritya Utsav is an All-India dance competition which culminated into a magnificent cultural extravaganza during national Republic day Celebrations in Delhi.
VandeBharatam 2.0 is also ongoing to select participants for the Republic Day Parade in 2023.
Kala Kumbh
It refers to artist workshops for painting scrolls measuring approximately 750 metres, representing the tales of valor of unsung heroes of India’s freedom movement.
It was organized by the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi.
It reflects the true essence of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
Inspiration has been drawn from the creative illustrations in the Constitution of India where the artistic elements were painted by Nandalal Bose and his team.
National Gallery of Modern Art - Established in 1954, the National Gallery of Modern Art is a repository of more than 17000 most significant works of modern and contemporary art in the country.
NGMA maintains two functional branches at Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat – It was announced on 31st October, 2015 on the occasion of the 140th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The knowledge of the culture, traditions and practices of different States & UTs will lead to an enhanced understanding between the States, thereby strengthening the unity and integrity of India.
Kalanjali
Under Kalanjali, Cultural performances such as storytelling, dance, theatre, and puppetry are organised at Central Vista every week.
Kalanjali started with a dance drama based on the life of Raja Rammohun Roy.
Release of Pictorial Books
Pictorial books were released in partnership with Amar Chitra Katha, an Indian publisher of Indian comics and graphic novels
A pictorial book in the memory of revolutionary tribal fighters of Indian freedom struggle
To know about India’s Women Unsung Heroes of Freedom Struggle – Part 2, click here
Azadi Ke Amrit Kaal Ki Shubh Vela: Kalakaron – Shilpakaron Ka Mela
It was organized by Centre for Cultural Resources & Training (CCRT), an autonomous organization under Ministry of Culture.
The 5-day event featured a spectacular thematic cultural fusion showcasing India’s rich history and a kaleidoscopic diversity in art, heritage, culture, cuisine and more.
CCRT was pioneered by Smt. Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan and established in 1979.
It is one of the premier institutions working in the field of linking education with culture.
Bharat Bhagya Vidhata
It is a cultural festival celebrated at Red Fort by promoting “Adopt a Heritage: Apni Dharovar, Apni Pehchan” Scheme.
Adopt a Heritage scheme is an initiative of the Ministry of Tourism, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological Survey of India.
It is to encourage private and public companies and organizations to become “Monument Mitras”.
Rashtriya Sanskriti Mahotsav 2022 (National Culture Festival of India)
The 12th Edition of RSM was organised at Rajamahendravaram in Andhra Pradesh, and Warangal and Hyderabad in Telengana.
RSM is a celebration of India’s diverse cultural heritage.
It is celebrated in the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat.
Temple 360 website
The Temple 360 website under the Ministry of Culture enables e-darshan and virtual tour of 12 Jyotirlingas and 4 Dhams of India.
In the near future the website will also enable you to avail various services such as E-Prasad, E-Arti, E-Sringaar and E-Donation.
Jyotirgamaya
To celebrate World Music Day, Sangeet Natak Akademi organized Jyotirgamaya – a musical event to showcase rare musical instruments from across the nation and performances by various artists and performers.
The Sangeet Natak Akademi was set up in 1953 for the promotion of performing arts.
It is an autonomous Body under the Ministry of Culture.
It acts at the national level for the
Promotion and growth of Indian music, dance and drama;
Maintenance of standards of training in the performing arts;
Revival, preservation, documentation and dissemination of materials as well as instruments relating to various forms of music, dance and drama.
Recognition of outstanding artists.
It is also responsible for the establishment and maintenance of institutions and projects of national importance in performing arts.
Sankalp Se Siddhi
Sankalp Se Siddhi was planned between Ministry of Culture and Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to develop an Industry-Citizen Charter for Vision 2047.
Badhe Chalo
It was an initiative by Government of India under ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to connect with the youth of our nation and instil a deeper sense of patriotism among them.
Badhe Chalo will feature Flash Dances, where dancers will perform on a specially created ‘Youth Anthem’.
Mela Moments
It is an initiative by Ministry of Culture, to work towards popularizing melas across the country.
It was announced by the Prime Minister during his Mann Ki Baat, the campaign aims to uplift the spirit of the upcoming festive season through visiting melas.
Celebration of Bathukamma
Bathukamma is a colourful floral festival of Telangana and is celebrated by womenfolk with exotic flowers of the region.
The flowers include ‘gunuka’ (or ‘gunugu’), ‘tangedu’, ‘banti’, ‘chamanti’, ‘nandi-vardhanam’ etc.
It represents the culture and identity of the people of Telangana and involves the worship of Maha Gauri - “Life Giver” in the form of Gauri Devi.
Bathukamma comes during the latter half of monsoon, before the onset of winter.
