Extravaganza: UNESCO team appreciates grand Puja Carnival
Kolkata: A UNESCO team that is in town to witness the gala Durga Puja Carnival was highly impressed with the pomp and grandeur of the grand event at Red Road, in Kolkata, on Friday.
The team will be soon sending a preliminary report on the extravaganza that was attended by a large number of delegates from across the world to its Geneva head office.
Around 100 of the city’s most acclaimed Durga idols were paraded one after another while cultural performances kept the audience hooked and enchanted throughout the event. Performances by various artistes and percussionists impressed the audience who were awestruck by the glitz and glamour of the event.
The UNESCO team has been the part and parcel of the Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata right from ‘Mahalaya’ with special arrangements being made by an NGO in collaboration with the British Council.
The team along with foreign delegates visited several Puja pandals in the city and were mesmerised by the artwork associated with the Puja pandals.
The celebrations of Durga Puja that culminated with the Red Road Carnival had them spell bound. The report regarding their tryst with Kolkata’s Durga Puja has already been prepared and will be sent to its head office at Geneva soon. The final report will follow.
Kolkata’s Durga Puja has been declared by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
According to sources, several countries sent their Consul Generals or their representatives to the event. Several countries, including Australia, Bangladesh, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, USA, Bhutan and China were invited.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attended the event and clapped with the tunes that were played at the event. She was also accompanied by some of her Cabinet colleagues such as Aroop Biswas, Firhad Hakim and Indranil Sen, among others.
Besides ministers, film personalities such as Prosenjit Chatterjee and June Malia were also present among many other celebrities.
