What Unesco tag for Durga Puja means for Kolkata’s favourite festival

On December 15, 2021, in its 16th session, a Unesco committee inscribed ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The Puja festivities in 2022 thus mark the beginning of a new chapter in the centuries-old festival, one that is being celebrated with pomp and grandeur all across Kolkata. The selection of Durga Puja in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage followed years of labour, especially on the nomination dossier, which was put together primarily by Tapati Guha Thakurta. She is the former director and honorary professor at Centre for Studies in Social Sciences, Kolkata, a scholar who conducted extensive field work surrounding this festival and all its stakeholders. According to her, the dossier that was sent to Unesco demanded very specific answers on questions on Durga Puja’s inclusiveness, its diversities, how it has kept up with changing times while retaining a core of the traditional elements of worship. The question, after Durga Puja received the tag, was whether, on account of this Unesco honour, certain practices and traditions would have to be modified for the purpose of conservation and preservation, and whether Unesco would be monitoring any deviation from its historic traditions. Chaltabagan Sarbojanin has painted the walls of a building in the neighborhood to honour the UNESCO inscription accorded to Durga Puja. Credits: Mausam MukherjeeWhat Unesco tag meansUnesco believes in intra-community safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage, says Ritu Sethi, founder-trustee of the Craft Revival Trust, editor of Global InCh journal on intangible cultural heritage and Asia InCh encyclopaedia on traditional arts, crafts and heritage of South Asia. That means, given the elements of such heritage are living, evolving traditions and not tangible artefacts or monuments,, Unesco does not explicitly intervene and lay down rules for safeguarding, but instead trusts the associated communities with the responsibility of sustaining their culture. To those organising Durga Pujas in Kolkata post the Unesco tag, it is a mix of conflicting feelings. Some organisers like that of Tridhara Sammilani and Samaj Sebi Sangha, are hopeful about the increase in foreign tourists to Durga Pujas post the Unesco tag. Other puja organisers, especially families associated with old household Durga Pujas, worry that this tag might lead to commercialisation and a slow death of this festival’s core traditions.Also see: Durga Puja Themes: Lord’s To Vatican, Van Gogh To Satyajit RayAlso see: How Durga Puja Has Many Histories, From ‘Colonial Link’ To Independence StruggleAlso see: How Tamil Nadu’s Golu Dolls Returned To Their Roots Anchor: Anindya Chakravorty Audio production: Sahil Gupta