UN heritage list: India's Durga Puja, Arabic calligraphy and others added to the list in 2021

UNESCO has inscribed "Durga Puja in Kolkata"&nbsp;on the representative list of "intangible cultural heritage of humanity".

The decision was made by the intergovernmental committee of UNESCO’s 2003 convention on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage during the 16th session held in France.

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Congratulations🇮🇳 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DurgaPuja?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DurgaPuja</a> is now inscribed on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UNESCO?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UNESCO</a> Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity! 
14 ICH elements from <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/India?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#India</a> have been inscribed on this list by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage <a href="https://t.co/TQMqejgxBS">pic.twitter.com/TQMqejgxBS</a>
— UNESCO New Delhi (@unesconewdelhi) <a href="https://twitter.com/unesconewdelhi/status/1471077887856066564?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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UNESCO's committee commended Durga Puja for its initiatives to involve marginalised groups and individuals including women&nbsp;during Durga Puja.&nbsp;

With the inclusion of the Durga Puja on its list, India now has 14 "intangible cultural heritage" elements on UNESCO's representative list on intangible cultural heritage including Kumbh Mela and Yoga.

India is a signatory of the 2003 UNESCO convention which aims at safeguarding intangible heritage.

According to UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage is defined by "practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills including instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated with communities&nbsp;and groups". It also recognises individuals in some cases as a part of "cultural heritage".&nbsp;

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Durga Puja in Kolkata joins the <a href="https://twitter.com/UNESCO?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNESCO</a> Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is a recognition of the confluence of our rich heritage, culture, rituals &amp; practices and a celebration of the feminine divinity &amp; the spirit of womanhood. 
Jai Maa Durga! <a href="https://t.co/i4lNCfwWn7">pic.twitter.com/i4lNCfwWn7</a>
— G Kishan Reddy (@kishanreddybjp) <a href="https://twitter.com/kishanreddybjp/status/1471086759161196544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 15, 2021</a></blockquote>
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Applauding the decision, India's culture and tourism minister G Kishan Reddy said the recognition is a "celebration of feminine divinity and the spirit of womanhood".

(With inputs from Agencies)

UNESCO has inscribed "Durga Puja in Kolkata" on the representative list of "intangible cultural heritage of humanity". The decision was made by the intergovernmental committee of UNESCO’s 2003 convention on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage during the 16th session held in France.

UNESCO has inscribed "Durga Puja in Kolkata" on the representative list of "intangible cultural heritage of humanity". The decision was made by the intergovernmental committee of UNESCO’s 2003 convention on the safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage during the 16th session held in France. Congratulations🇮🇳 #DurgaPuja is now inscribed on the #UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity! 14 ICH elements from #India have been inscribed on this list by the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage pic.twitter.com/TQMqejgxBS — UNESCO New Delhi (@unesconewdelhi) December 15, 2021 × UNESCO's committee commended Durga Puja for its initiatives to involve marginalised groups and individuals including women during Durga Puja. With the inclusion of the Durga Puja on its list, India now has 14 "intangible cultural heritage" elements on UNESCO's representative list on intangible cultural heritage including Kumbh Mela and Yoga. India is a signatory of the 2003 UNESCO convention which aims at safeguarding intangible heritage. According to UNESCO, intangible cultural heritage is defined by "practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, skills including instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces associated with communities and groups". It also recognises individuals in some cases as a part of "cultural heritage". Durga Puja in Kolkata joins the @UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is a recognition of the confluence of our rich heritage, culture, rituals & practices and a celebration of the feminine divinity & the spirit of womanhood. Jai Maa Durga! pic.twitter.com/i4lNCfwWn7 — G Kishan Reddy (@kishanreddybjp) December 15, 2021 × Applauding the decision, India's culture and tourism minister G Kishan Reddy said the recognition is a "celebration of feminine divinity and the spirit of womanhood". (With inputs from Agencies)

UNESCO declares ‘Durga Puja in Kolkata’ as 'intangible cultural heritage of humanity'

It may be on the UNESCO heritage list but global experts warn that the Mediterranean diet, prized for its health benefits, is losing so much ground to the fast-food culture that the decline may be irreversible. 
 
Rich in vegetables, fruits, cereals and extra virgin olive oil, the Mediterranean diet is based on a moderate consumption of fish, dairy products, eggs, red wine and a small amount of meat. 
 
Found to varying degrees in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, it was named in 2010 in UNESCO&#39;s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list for seven countries, from Croatia to Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Portugal. 
 
But the diet, which the United Nations also praises for promoting hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, is going rapidly out of fashion. 
 
&quot;In Greece, it has decreased by 70 per cent over the last 30 years, in Spain 50 per cent,&quot; Lluis Serra-Majem, head of the International Foundation of Mediterranean Diet, said at a recent conference in Milan. 
 
The experts, from Israel to New Zealand to Sweden, explored ways to revive the diet, from making it appealing to teenagers, to persuading people to buy fresh and sometimes costlier food during a period of economic crisis. 
 
In Spain, celebrities like actress Penelope Cruz may add some glamour with their love of Mediterranean cuisine but even fewer people are enticed. 
 
Less than 15 per cent of the Spanish population still eats a Mediterranean diet, while 50 to 60 per cent do so occasionally. Between 20 to 30 per cent have ditched it altogether, Serra-Majem said. 
 
And it&#39;s the same in Greece, says Antonia Trichopoulou from the Hellenic Health Foundation. Unsurprisingly, over 65-year-olds are the best at eating traditional dishes, while the youngest generations have succumbed to the lure of fast food. 
 
&quot;The decline has various causes. We are witnessing a globalisation of eating habits, with (the spread of) the &#39;Western diet&#39;,&quot; said Serra-Majem, pointing a finger of blame at the growth of the tourism sector in particular. 
 
It has been more marked in coastal areas, particularly in Spain or on Italy&#39;s Adriatic coast. 
 
&quot;Uncontrolled tourism leads to high urbanisation and increased consumption of meat, refined flours and a reduction of the traditional diet,&quot; he said. 
 
Oranges in Ibiza 
 
The change in eating habits is having a significant impact on public health with the rise of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes among populations previously known for their longevity. 
 
Seven in 10 Greek adults are now overweight or obese, and about 11 per cent have diabetes, according to Trichopoulou. 
 
The Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity could prevent many diabetes cases, said Serra-Majem. 
 
While some regions are doing better at resisting fast food - such as southern Italy and northern Africa - the race is on to find a way to slow or reverse the diet&#39;s decline, with the meeting in Milan just one such bid to save it. 
 
As well as the health fallout and associated medical costs, dropping the diet also has an impact on the environment since &quot;almost 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions come from food production,&quot; he said. 
 
It also puts at risk of extinction local skills and traditions such as harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry and conservation. 
 
Healthy eating has not fallen by the wayside completely: the Mediterranean diet is a hit with &quot;educated people and those who belong to higher social classes&quot; in Greece, Trichopoulou said. 
 
&quot;It is more related to a social problem and education than money, because vegetables and fruits are relatively cheap,&quot; she said, but people are cooking less and advertisements promote sugary or preserved products. 
 
What&#39;s needed is to encourage initiatives in local communities and find a way of selling sustainable tourism - including a return to local food production - even in mass tourism areas, says independent expert Florence Egal. 
 
In Spain&#39;s Balearic Islands, including the hugely popular Majorca and Ibiza, &quot;thousands of tourists eat at buffets in large hotels&quot;, while &quot;in the countryside orange trees are weighed down with unpicked fruit&quot;, which rots because imported oranges cost less. 
 
And she warns, as groves are abandoned and migration to cities increases, the Mediterranean diet takes one more step towards becoming a thing of the past. 
 
(AFP)

Experts from New Zealand to Sweden are exploring ways to revive the cuisine that is fast losing popularity

It may be on the UNESCO heritage list but global experts warn that the Mediterranean diet, prized for its health benefits, is losing so much ground to the fast-food culture that the decline may be irreversible. Rich in vegetables, fruits, cereals and extra virgin olive oil, the Mediterranean diet is based on a moderate consumption of fish, dairy products, eggs, red wine and a small amount of meat. Found to varying degrees in all countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, it was named in 2010 in UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list for seven countries, from Croatia to Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Portugal. But the diet, which the United Nations also praises for promoting hospitality, neighbourliness, intercultural dialogue and creativity, is going rapidly out of fashion. "In Greece, it has decreased by 70 per cent over the last 30 years, in Spain 50 per cent," Lluis Serra-Majem, head of the International Foundation of Mediterranean Diet, said at a recent conference in Milan. The experts, from Israel to New Zealand to Sweden, explored ways to revive the diet, from making it appealing to teenagers, to persuading people to buy fresh and sometimes costlier food during a period of economic crisis. In Spain, celebrities like actress Penelope Cruz may add some glamour with their love of Mediterranean cuisine but even fewer people are enticed. Less than 15 per cent of the Spanish population still eats a Mediterranean diet, while 50 to 60 per cent do so occasionally. Between 20 to 30 per cent have ditched it altogether, Serra-Majem said. And it's the same in Greece, says Antonia Trichopoulou from the Hellenic Health Foundation. Unsurprisingly, over 65-year-olds are the best at eating traditional dishes, while the youngest generations have succumbed to the lure of fast food. "The decline has various causes. We are witnessing a globalisation of eating habits, with (the spread of) the 'Western diet'," said Serra-Majem, pointing a finger of blame at the growth of the tourism sector in particular. It has been more marked in coastal areas, particularly in Spain or on Italy's Adriatic coast. "Uncontrolled tourism leads to high urbanisation and increased consumption of meat, refined flours and a reduction of the traditional diet," he said. Oranges in Ibiza The change in eating habits is having a significant impact on public health with the rise of obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes among populations previously known for their longevity. Seven in 10 Greek adults are now overweight or obese, and about 11 per cent have diabetes, according to Trichopoulou. The Mediterranean diet combined with physical activity could prevent many diabetes cases, said Serra-Majem. While some regions are doing better at resisting fast food - such as southern Italy and northern Africa - the race is on to find a way to slow or reverse the diet's decline, with the meeting in Milan just one such bid to save it. As well as the health fallout and associated medical costs, dropping the diet also has an impact on the environment since "almost 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions come from food production," he said. It also puts at risk of extinction local skills and traditions such as harvesting, fishing, animal husbandry and conservation. Healthy eating has not fallen by the wayside completely: the Mediterranean diet is a hit with "educated people and those who belong to higher social classes" in Greece, Trichopoulou said. "It is more related to a social problem and education than money, because vegetables and fruits are relatively cheap," she said, but people are cooking less and advertisements promote sugary or preserved products. What's needed is to encourage initiatives in local communities and find a way of selling sustainable tourism - including a return to local food production - even in mass tourism areas, says independent expert Florence Egal. In Spain's Balearic Islands, including the hugely popular Majorca and Ibiza, "thousands of tourists eat at buffets in large hotels", while "in the countryside orange trees are weighed down with unpicked fruit", which rots because imported oranges cost less. And she warns, as groves are abandoned and migration to cities increases, the Mediterranean diet takes one more step towards becoming a thing of the past. (AFP)

Global push to make Mediterranean diet sexy again