UNESCO officials to take part in mega pre-Durga Puja event on September 1

KOLKATA: Two senior officials of UNESCO will take part in the gala pre-Durga Puja road show to be organised by the state government on September 1.

UNESCO on Sunday wrote a letter to H K Dwivedi, the Chief Secretary, and confirmed that two of its representatives will join the mega event.

The senior officials to visit are Eric Falt, director of UNESCO representing Bhutan, India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka, and Tim Curtis, secretary of the 2003 Convention for the safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The Bengal government had approached UNESCO requesting it to send its representatives to join the mega event.

In December 2021, UNESCO at its Paris conference had given the Intangible Cultural Heritage tag to Durga Puja. UNESCO maintained that by breaking religious barriers, people from all walks of life join the Durga Puja which is a unique event. UNESCO has given the Intangible Cultural Heritage tag to festivals in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Brazil and Bolivia.

As per the direction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, a gala roadshow will be held on September 1, a month ahead of Saptami, which falls on October 1.

The state government is organising a grand carnival on Red Road where the best clubs will take part. At the extravaganza, idols are carried in decorated trucks and cultural shows are held on the road.

In 2020 and 2021, the Red

Road Carnival could not be held due to the pandemic. Hundreds of people, including foreign tourists, come to see the Carnival, which is one of its kind in the country. The BJP had made a false propaganda that the state government did not allow Durga Puja to be held in the state.

The state government gives Rs 50,000 to the clubs to organise the Puja. Brushing aside such canards by the BJP, the state government is committed to organise a grand show on September 1 where all the big Puja clubs will take part. There will be cultural shows and tableaus to make the rally a colourful one.