Context:

• Concerned over the “disappearance” of many intangible legacy of India over time, the UN will soon launch a project on creating an “inventory” of art forms, craftsmanship and other intangible cultural heritage of the country. 

Details:

• India is endowed with not just with wealth of iconic monuments and landmarks and built heritage, but also home to countless intangible cultural heritage, like folk music, art forms, textile design, craftsmanship.
• The United Nations had dedicated its iconic campus here to India’s cultural heritage as its office in New Delhi marked the UN Day with a dazzling display of the country’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. 
• A total of 13 intangible cultural heritage elements from India have been inscribed till date on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 
• These include the Kumbh Mela, Novruz, Tradition of Vedic chanting, Ramlila, Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre; Ramman, religious festival and ritual theatre of the Garhwal Himalayas; Kalbelia folk songs and dances of Rajasthan; and Chhau dance. 
• A simple tradition of producing handcrafted sarees in a small town, a folk song in a village in a corner of the country, a recipe crafted by someone’s mother or grandmother, which may be disappearing because the next generation has migrated to other, big cities. 
• The UN House has been revived as the site for the safeguarding of the history of the seven-decade-long India-UN partnership and of India’s great contributions to the UN.
• We are equally proud to dedicate this compound to India’s cultural heritage, and the vibrant plural developmental traditions of the country that will provide the right environment for thinking about the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)