Srinagar City UNESCO Feat
News Kashmir Exclusive
The famed world body of UNESCO has included Srinagar in the prestigious list of Creative Cities Network in the category of ‘Folk Art and Culture and Craft’, city mayor Junaid Azim Mattu stated recently.
As a matter of fact , Launched in 2004, the Unesco Creative Cities Network aims at providing cooperation among cities that recognize creativity as a major factor in their urban development.Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi too expressed jubilation over the move as he tweeted: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 for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar. Congratulations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
— Narendra Modi, Prime Minister , India (@narendramodi) November 8, 2021.It is worth mentioning here that around 49 cities were added to the network of 246 cities following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, in recognition of “their commitment to placing culture and creativity at the heart of their development and to sharing knowledge and good practices”.Mudasir Muran, the Owner of Paradise Wood House and Art Lover Stated : ” This is great feat for the historical city of Srinagar to become one of the few cities worldwide to join the UNESCO Creative Cities list. It is a proud fact for us that Srinagar city is a part of UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). With this, the UCCN is now an exclusive club of 295 cities from across 90 countries that invest in culture and creativity — crafts and folk art, design, film, gastronomy, literature, media arts, and music — to advance sustainable urban development. We hope that this development goes a long way in promoting art and crafts of the Srinagar city on global map . This development would also boost the overall image of Srinagar city . Expert pulse is there is already a huge demand for Kashmiri handcrafted products abroad, even as it is not benefiting the artisans directly. We hope this move benefits in big way our artisan community too .””A new urban model needs to be developed in every city, with its architects, town planners, landscapers and citizens,” said Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay.For the historical city of Srinagar achieving this feat is a feather to its cap without any doubt .It is worth pointing out here that Every year, UNESCO seeks applications for various cities across the globe for putting them under its UCCN project. The applications in India are routed through the Ministry of Culture. Srinagar going through it successfully is indeed an wonderful news to ears .
