Thank you, Unesco! For Kolkata, Durga Puja arrives a month early

KOLKATA: Colourful props... check; dancing... check; tens of thousands on the roads... check. On Thursday afternoon, the carnival-like atmosphere on the streets, to celebrate Unesco's recognition of the city's biggest festival as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, made the intangible very, very much tangible, an entire month in advance.
Nothing, not even a shower followed by stifling humidity and a scorching sun, could dampen the City of Joy as its very own annual event got pitchforked on to the global stage amid loud chants of "Bolo Dugga Ma Ki Jai" and the thunderous beats of the dhak.

Leading the rally was chief minister Mamata Banerjee, flanked by eminent personalities from different walks of life.
The rally started at Jorasanko and culminated in a colourful programme on Red Road, where folk artistes shared the stage with leading names from Tollywood.
If the rally itself saw over 70,000-80,000 participants, with colourful presentations, the state ensured that the traditions of Bengal were represented in the 25-odd minutes of cultural programmes it had lined up. As people flaunting colourful umbrellas danced to women dhakis set the tone, over 100 Baul artistes performed the evergreen 'Hrid Majhare Rakhbo'.
Some of the biggest names from Tollywood - Mimi Chakraborty, June Malia, Lovely Maitra and Aditi Munshi - performed to 'Eso Eso Amar Ghore'. Later, actors Subhasree Ganguly and Sayantika Banerjee danced to a song whose central theme and composition was credited to CM Banerjee and sung by Indranil Sen, Aditi Munshi and Banerjee herself.
The entire carnival-like spirit left the Unesco representatives pleasantly surprised. Eric Falt, who serves as the director and Unesco representative for the Unesco New Delhi Cluster Office, was impressed. "What a sight! When I met the chief minister three months ago, she told me that I should expect something big. But I really did not expect something so big. So, congratulations on the achievement," he said. "This is the perfect example of why we have added Durga Puja to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. Personally, I have never seen such enthusiasm. We will be back in the city three weeks from now and I will come back to celebrate with you. We are extremely proud to have worked here with the MSME sector and we have launched a partnership to locate intangible culture in the Himalayas, especially the north-east. That event will be flagged off from this city on September 24 and will provide us with the perfect opportunity to celebrate once more," he added.
Festival is now on the world stage, says CM
Tim Curtis, secretary of Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage, said Durga Puja had helped transform the lives of all and allowed participation of marginalized groups of society, making it a strong contender for this list.
The state felicitated the Unesco officials and handed them over some items that "carries the essence of Bengal", along with books written by Rabindranath Tagore and CM Mamata Banerjee. The Forum for Durgotsav presented them a dokra Durga idol.
Banerjee said it was the state's honour to get Durga Puja included in the list. "The stage today has become a united one, a true world stage. The people got wet in the rain and braved the hot and humid weather to come here. I express my thanks to everyone who has turned up to show the spirit of humanity and unity," she said. "We believe that humanity is our asset and unity is our strength. I salute Unesco for providing us this opportunity. Practising religion may be personal, but celebrations are universal. This support from Unesco will boost us in this endeavour. I will invite them (the Unesco officials) to attend our Puja and then the Puja carnival. I have learnt that they are coming again on September 24 (the day before Mahalaya). As part of these celebrations, we express our wishes and stand in solidarity with all nations represented here today," she said.
BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly, who attended the function on a special invitation from Banerjee, said he had travelled across the globe (and witnessed the Brazilian carnival and Christmas in Europe and Ganapati festival in Mumbai), but had rarely seen something on the scale and in the spirit of Kolkata's Durga Puja. "For a week, the city transforms itself and you will see a different city. It is a great city. You realize it when you start living here. You witness the hospitality, love and affection. I hope you make more trips here from France," he said.
Ganguly reminded both Falt and Curtis that Kolkata was a city of football. "You are from France, the land of football. This city, too, is a city of football. Since I played, I might have made cricket a bit more popular," he quipped.
Lt-Gen Rana Pratap Kalita, GOC-in-C Eastern Command, said since he was born and brought in eastern India, he had seen the celebration of Durga Puja from a young age. "We thank Unesco for recognizing this. Durga Puja here has to be seen to be believed," he stated.