UNESCO meet over India's nomination of 'Deepavali' for intangible cultural heritage tag

India’s bid to secure UNESCO recognition for Deepavali will take a crucial step forward next week when the festival’s nomination comes up for examination at a major UNESCO meeting in Delhi, officials said. The discussion will be part of the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH), which India is hosting for the first time.

The high-profile gathering, scheduled from 8 to 13 December at the Red Fort, will assess India’s 2023-filed dossier for inscription of the Deepavali festival on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This nomination has been submitted for the 2024–25 cycle, a senior official told PTI.

India already has 15 cultural practices on UNESCO’s prestigious list — among them the Kumbh Mela, Durga Puja in Kolkata, Garba, yoga, Vedic chanting, and Ramlila. Deepavali could become the next addition if the Committee approves India’s submission.

According to UNESCO, the session will evaluate new nominations, review the condition of elements already inscribed, and also consider requests for international assistance to safeguard intangible heritage. Ambassador Vishal V. Sharma, India’s permanent delegate to UNESCO, will preside over the meet. Calling the occasion “a matter of great pride”, Sharma earlier told PTI that India has never before hosted this ICH committee session.

The event will take place under heightened security, coming less than a month after a high-intensity car blast near the Red Fort on 10 November left 15 dead and over two dozen injured. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has already closed the 17th-century Mughal fort complex to visitors from 5 to 14 December to facilitate preparations. The Red Fort, built by Emperor Shah Jahan and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, will also repurpose several British-era barracks as meeting and exhibition spaces, officials said.

The iconic complex has hosted large cultural events before — including the inaugural India Art, Architecture and Design Biennale (IAADB) in December 2023, which featured seven curated exhibitions across three restored British-period barracks.

The ministry of culture and the Sangeet Natak Akademi (SNA) are coordinating the UNESCO gathering, which the government says reflects India’s intention to link its tangible and intangible heritage and showcase its cultural identity “under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi”. Though an official programme has not been released, sources suggest the inaugural session may be held on 7 December.

In the Rajya Sabha, Union culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the event is expected to draw over 800 delegates from 180-plus countries, including UNESCO officials, committee members, NGOs, experts, and practitioners.

He said key agenda items include:

• Evaluating safeguarding reports submitted by countries for elements already on the list

• Processing requests for international assistance

• Reviewing best practices and new methods for protecting “living heritage”

• Mapping out future safeguarding plans

Hosting the event, Shekhawat added, offers India “strategic and diplomatic advantages”, from boosting cultural soft power to strengthening cooperation with UNESCO and inspiring young people to reconnect with their cultural roots.

Ahead of the session, the UNESCO India office marked Diwali with a social-media post highlighting the festival’s nomination and the upcoming committee meeting.

“Light, heritage, and togetherness. This Diwali, the UNESCO family came together to celebrate the spirit of joy and shared traditions that connect us all… As India nominates #Diwali to UNESCO's Representative List … we celebrate how living traditions continue to unite communities and illuminate the world with cultural diversity,” the message said.

The December session follows New Delhi’s hosting of the 46th World Heritage Committee (WHC) meeting at Bharat Mandapam in July 2024 — another major UNESCO event.

Reported by Kunal Dutt/PTI