Shantiniketan gets UNESCO World Heritage tag! Jaishankar calls it "Fitting tribute to Nobel Laureate Tagore"

Kolkata, Sep 18: As West Bengal's Shantiniketan gets the UNESCO World Heritage tag, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday (Sep 17) expressed his happiness over the conferment of UNESCO's World Heritage status on Shantiniketan, the abode of Rabindranath Tagore in the Burbhum district of West Bengal.

 

 

 

 

Shantiniketan was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage list during the 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the UN agency informed through a post on the social media platform 'X'. Responding to the post by Vishal V Sharma, India's ambassador and permanent representative to UNESCO, on X, Jaishankar wrote, "Congratulations. A fitting tribute to our first Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore and all those who have kept his message alive."

 

 

 

Earlier, taking to his social media 'X', Vishal V Sharma said it is a great day for Indians as Shantiniketan had been inscribed on UNESCO'S World Heritage List. "Shantiniketan inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List (Agenda 45COM.8B.10). A great day for all Indians. Bharat Mata ki jai," he posted. He also shared a video from the moment when Shantiniketan was announced to have been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List.

 

 

 

 

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called the inclusion of West Bengal’s Shantiniketan in the list of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites as a "proud moment for all Indians". Taking to X, PM Modi posted, “Delighted that Shantiniketan , an embodiment of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's vision and India's rich cultural heritage, has been inscribed on the @UNESCO World Heritage List. This is a proud moment for all Indians.” Established in 1901 by Tagore, Shantiniketan was a residential school and centre for art based on ancient Indian traditions and a vision of the unity of humanity transcending religious and cultural boundaries.

 

 

 

 

A ‘world university’ was established at Shantiniketan in 1921, recognising the unity of humanity or “Visva Bharati”. Distinct from the prevailing British colonial architectural orientations of the early 20th century and of European modernism, Shantiniketan represents approaches toward pan-Asian modernity, drawing on ancient, medieval and folk traditions from across the region. India had been striving for a long to get a UNESCO tag for this cultural site located in the Birbhum district. Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, G Kishan Reddy, on Tuesday informed that Shantiniketan had been recommended for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list by The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS).

 

 

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