The Logical Indian Crew

Proud Moment! Srinagar Makes It To UNESCO's Creative Cities List For Craft, Folk Art

Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the recognition of the vibrant cultural ethos of the capital city of the Union Territory.

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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has picked Srinagar among 49 cities as part of the creative city network under the Crafts and Folk Arts category. Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people of Jammu and Kashmir for the recognition of the vibrant cultural ethos of the capital city of the Union Territory.

"Delighted that Srinagar joins the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art. It is fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar. Congratulations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir," Modi tweeted.


The UNESCO made the announcement on its website on Monday, November 8. A total of 49 cities were picked to the network of 246 cities worldwide following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, NDTV reported.

The inclusion is likely to pave way for the city to represent its handicrafts on the global stage through UNESCO. Only Jaipur (Crafts and Folk Arts) in 2015, Varanasi and Chennai (Creative city of Music) in 2015 and 2017, respectively, have so far been recognised as members of the UCCN for creative cities.

The network involves folk art, media, film, literature, design, gastronomy and media arts. The Srinagar city has been designated the creative city in the field of Crafts and Folk Arts —the only second city in India in this category after Jaipur. While Mumbai has been honoured in the film category, Chennai and Varanasi have been made part of UCCN for their music. Hyderabad is a UCCN city in the gastronomy category.

Massive Recognition Of Artisans

Saleem Baig, Convenor of INTACH (J&K Chapter), stated that they have been preparing a dossier for such recognition for the last four years and making it to the UNESCO list is a massive recognition of artisans of Kashmir who have kept the centuries-old craft alive.

"It's a huge recognition of Kashmiri craft and heritage. Its recognition of the identity of Kashmir, its craftsmen who sustained tradition for centuries," said Baig.

"We were left out in 2019. This time there were two cities recommended for the recognition - Srinagar and Gwalior. UNESCO decided to select Srinagar this time," he added.

Meanwhile, the Mayor of Srinagar Junaid Azim Mattu took to Twitter to announce Srinagar's inclusion in the list. "GREAT NEWS FOR SRINAGAR! Srinagar has been inscribed as UNESCO ''Creative City of Art and Craft''. The only city from India to make it to the list!" Mattu claimed.


Also Read: 'Race Against Age': 67-year-old From Maharashtra Cycles 3,600 Km From Kashmir-Kanyakumari In Record Time


Contributors Suggest Correction
Writer : Tashafi Nazir
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Editor : Madhusree Goswami
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Creatives : Tashafi Nazir

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