Durga Puja in Kolkata provides space for artistic activism, says art historian Tapati Guha-Thakurta
The Hindu
UNESCO heritage tag will boost creative economy of festival, she says
Art historian Tapati Guha-Thakurta has played an important role in getting in Kolkata included in UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Ms. Guha-Thakurta was the field expert who drafted the dossier for the Ministry of Culture seeking international recognition for the festival after having studied the puja in Kolkata for decades and published a book in 2015, In the name of the Goddess: The Durga Pujas of Contemporary Kolkata. Excerpts from an interview:
Durga Puja is one of the largest events of the country that has made it to the list. Given the kind of things that have made it to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO, Durga Puja is certainly unique and perhaps the most deserving. It is a very complex event and organised on a very large scale. As an international cultural and street festival, it deserves this recognition.
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