News Highlight
UNESCO released a list of the country’s exclusive and iconic heritage textile crafts.
Key Takeaway
- Handmade for the 21st Century: Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textiles lists the histories and legends behind the textiles, describes the complicated and secret processes behind their making, mentions the causes for their dwindling popularity, and provides strategies for their preservation.
Some of the iconic handcrafted textiles documented.
| Handcrafted textiles | Location |
| Khes | Panipat-Haryana |
| Chamba rumals | Himachal Pradesh |
| Thigma or wool tie and dye | Ladakh |
| Awadh Jamdani | Varanasi- Uttar Pradesh |
| Ilkal | Karnataka |
| Lambadi, or Banjara embroidery | Karnataka |
| Sikalnayakanpet Kalamkari | Thanjavur-Tamil Nadu |
| Kunbi weaves | Goa |
| Mashru weaves | Gujrat |
| Patola | Gujrat |
| Himroo | Maharashtra |
| Garad Korial | West Bengal |
UNESCO
- About
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations (UN).
- UNESCO was founded in 1945 as the successor to the League of Nations International Committee on Intellectual Cooperation.
- It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in Education, the Sciences and Culture.
- Headquartered at the World Heritage Centre in Paris.
- Members:
- It has 193 members and 11 Associate Members and is governed by the General Conference and the Executive Board.
- Objectives:
- Attaining quality education for all and lifelong learning.
- Mobilising science knowledge and policy for sustainable development.
- Addressing emerging social and ethical challenges.
- Fostering cultural diversity, intercultural dialogue and a culture of peace.
- Building inclusive knowledge societies through information and communication.
- Focuses on global priority areas – “Africa” and “Gender Equality”.
- Important Initiatives of UNESCO:
- World Heritage Convention and List.
- Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme.
- International Geoscience and Global Geoparks Programme.
- World Water Assessment Programme.
- Creative Cities Network.
- Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
- Memory of the World Programme.
- India and UNESCO
- India has been a founding member of UNESCO, having ratified UNESCO’s Constitution on 4th November, 1946.
- Recently, India won the re-election to the executive board of the UN’s cultural and education organisation for the 2021-25 term.
- INCCU:
- Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (INCCU).
- It is a governmental body formed by the Government of India which functions under the Department of Secondary and Higher Education in the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
- The objective of the commission is to advise the Government on matters relating to UNESCO.
- The Minister of Human Resource Development shall be the President of the Commission.
- Initiatives in Collaboration with UNESCO in India:
- #KeepGirlsInSchool movement.
- Special Area Heritage Plan (SAHP).
- Joint project on Media Action Against Rape (MAAR).
- Development of Rural crafts and Cultural Hubs in West Bengal for intergenerational transmission.
Pic Courtesy: The Hindu
Content Source: The Hindu