Following Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Varanasi, and Jaipur, Srinagar has become the sixth Indian city to be recognised by UNESCO as a ‘creative city. UNESCO designates such creative cities in seven fields — craft, folk art, media arts, film design, gastronomy, literature, and music — and applications are sent in every year from various cities across the globe for putting them under the UCCN project. Keeping with this, 49 cities were picked to be added to the existing network of 246 cities worldwide following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, as per the announcement on the UNESCO website on November 8th.
Srinagar has been designated in the craft and folk art category, same as Jaipur. Chennai and Varanasi are UNESCO cities of music while Mumbai is the UNESCO city of film and Hyderabad is of gastronomy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir on the occasion, saying
Delighted that beautiful Srinagar joins the @UNESCO
Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art. It is a fitting recognition of the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar. Congratulations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Saleem Baig, Convenor of INTACH (J&K Chapter) is being quoted by The Logical Indian, saying “It’s a huge recognition of Kashmiri craft and heritage. Its recognition of the identity of Kashmir, its craftsmen who sustained tradition for centuries. 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.”
Srinagar crafts and folk art are an intrinsic part of its tourism, along with its scenic landscapes. Tourists from all over the world come to this city in search of Pashmina shawls, carpets, hand-woven rugs, woolen items, embroidered jackets, Phirhan, scarves, wood carvings, etc. The international recognition is being seen to give a major boost to the local artisans in the upcoming times.
