Watch: Mamata takes out rally to celebrate UNESCO tag for Durga Puja

Flanked by thousands of supporters, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday took out a rally to thank UNESCO for putting Durga Puja on the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) representative list.

The rally, which saw representatives of over 1,000 Durga Puja committees, started in the Jorasanko area of north Kolkata and will end on Red Road.

The chief minister was also accompanied by party colleagues Firhad Hakim, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Aroop Biswas and Shashi Panja .

“I would like to thank UNESCO for according ICH tag to Durga Puja. From today onwards, our festivities have begun one month in advance. I welcome people from all walks of life to participate in the rally, and thank everyone watching this rally from around the world,” she said, while inaugurating the rally.

Before the rally, Banerjee described Durga Puja as an emotion of the Bengalis that unites people above the “parochial barriers”

“Durga Puja is an emotion that rises above parochial barriers and brings us together. It unites the magnificence of art with spirituality. We thank UNESCO for recognising Durga Puja as an intangible cultural heritage and honouring the labour of love of everyone involved,” she tweeted.

In the concluding programme on Red Road, Banerjee is scheduled to hand over an earthen idol of Goddess Durga to the representatives of UNESCO.

Representatives of renowned Durga Pujas in Kolkata, Howrah and Salt Lake took part in the rally dressed in traditional Bengali outfits.

Participants were seen playing ‘dhak’, flute, singing puja songs and dancing. Similar rallies were also organised in other districts.