Celebration of Durga Puja’s UNESCO tag at the Indian Museum
Bangla Abar, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, had organised an event on Saturday to commemorate the momentous occasion of Durga Puja being inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List and Matrishakti Vandana preceding the auspicious Durgotsav.
The event began at the Indian Museum with the beating of dhaak. Female dhaakis played the drum as performers donning bright clothes danced with dhunuchi.
After that, the main event started off with the performance of Sudakshina Kala Kendra. Then a folk music band performed songs like “Amar Duggi Elo Ghore” and “Milan Hobe Kotodine”. Later, Sreekumar Bhattacharya sang bhaktigeeti and Swami Maharaj of Bharat Sevashram Sangha gave an enlightening speech on Mahishasuramdini.
The main attraction of the event was that of Smt. Dona Ganguly and her troupe, which mesmerised the audience, after which she was felicitated on stage. Durgotsav Committees, rajbaris, maths and missions also received felicitation.
Minister Meenakshi Lekhi and minister Subhash Sarkar were special guests. They surveyed the live artwork, which was conducted at the museum premises, before giving their individual speeches.
The Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India, Meenakshi Lekhi, asked to keep Durga Puja out of politics. Speaking about petty politics on the achievement of Durga Puja, she said, “It’s a sign of smallness of mind to get involved in everything.” Meenakshi also covered the verse “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”.
Lekhi explained, “This recognition of Durga Puja is a joy for all Indians. And Calcutta is no less dear to the Prime Minister than anyone else. ” Regarding the unique character of Durga Puja in this city, the Union Minister said, “Initially, Kolkata was not named in the application to UNESCO. We applied for UNESCO-recognition for Durga Puja twice in 2012 and 2018. But it was rejected. Under the PM’s integral leadership, we have all tried to achieve this recognition as a part of India. The Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of External Affairs have all prepared for the puja. ” On being asked about religious ties to the puja, she stressed the fact that artists of all religions and sects are involved in it, and herein lies the culture of India.
