Patna: Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach), a non-profit organisation, has launched a campaign to include Chhath on Unesco’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Chhath, one of the prominent festivals of Hindus dedicated to sun, is celebrated in large parts of the country.
As part of this campaign, the Patna chapter of Intach has begun proper documentation of the festival through photographs. It has organised a national photographic salon for the first time to gather photographic evidence related to the festival. The Federation of Indian Photographers has lent its support to this mission, an Intach official said.
So far, nine photographers, including Laszlo Szita from Budapest (Hungary), have registered with Intach while the last date of registration is November 12. The others include photojournalists from Ranchi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Patna.
“For the first time, we are making proper documentation of this festival and collecting photographic evidence, highlighting the 2,000-year-old tradition in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” Intach’s Patna chapter convener Bhairab Lal Das told TOI on Tuesday. Stating this festival is being celebrated in for over 2,000 years without a break, Das said they were trying to prove it through temples, statues, worship methods, offerings, utensils used for worship and how this festival has been closely associated with rivers and water bodies. “None can offer prayers to the sun without water,” he said.
“We are hopeful that this festival will find its place on Unesco’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. It may take time because the process for its submission is very lengthy,” Das said.
According to him, the process encompasses the involvement of the state govt and Centre, and convincing the regional committee of Unesco.
He said Chhath fulfills all the criteria required to get its place on the Unesco list, and now, it is celebrated not only in the country but even abroad. “It is celebrated abroad too by Indians settled there…Jab Bhartiya migrate kiye to Chhath parv ko bhi le gaye apne saath,” he said.
Asked what prompted them to launch the campaign, he said they got encouraged after seeing Kolkata Durga Puja getting Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage’ (ICH) tag.