New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday addressed the 20th Session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, held at the Red Fort.
The event was attended by External Affairs minister S Jaishankar, Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh
Shekhawat, UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany, and India’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO Vishal V Sharma.
Welcoming international delegates, the Chief Minister said it was “a privilege and an honour” to host the global gathering in
Delhi, a city she described as “not merely a city, but a living civilisation.”
She highlighted that Delhi’s cultural evolution stretches back 3,000 years, from the Indraprastha of the Mahabharata to the modern national capital.
“Within a few kilometres, Delhi reflects an extraordinary tapestry of traditions,” she said, pointing to its forts, stepwells, classical music, folk traditions and diverse cuisines.
Calling India’s intangible cultural heritage one of the richest in the world, she emphasised that traditions such as the Vedas, Upanishads, Yoga, festivals and performing arts are rooted in daily life. Culture, she said, “thrives not in museums but in the everyday lives of its people.”
Hosting the UNESCO session, she added, reaffirms India’s commitment to safeguarding intangible heritage.
The Chief Minister noted that rapid modernisation, climate change and migration have made the preservation of intangible culture even more important today.