PM Modi Praises recognition of Garba by UNESCO

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his delight on Wednesday regarding the worldwide acknowledgment of Garba, an indigenous dance form from India.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that Garba has been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. He expressed satisfaction that the Certificate of Inscription was recently conferred in Paris.

“Garba is a celebration of life, culture and devotion. It also brings people together. It is gladdening to note that Garba’s global popularity on the rise! Sometime ago, Garba found a place in the @UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list. I am glad that the Certificate of Inscription was presented a few days back in Paris. At the same time, a memorable Garba Night was also held in Paris, which was attended by the Indian community in large numbers.,” he said in a tweet on X.

PM Modi also shared images capturing people reveling in the Garba dance and a copy of the UNESCO certificate.

“Garba of Gujarat was inscribed in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity by UNESCO, under the provisions of the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage during the 18th meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage from December 5-9, 2023, in Kasane, Botswana,” as per the Ministry of Culture.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the dance form from Gujarat marks the 15th ICH element from India to be included in this prestigious list.

Garba is a ceremonial and spiritual dance performed during the Navaratri festival. Participants encircle a perforated earthenware pot illuminated with an oil lamp or an effigy of the mother goddess Amba.

Dancers partake in a counter-clockwise circle around the center, executing basic steps while singing and synchronously clapping their hands.

The Gujarati dance begins with slow circular motions, gradually escalating to a frenzied whirl as the tempo intensifies.