24

India is a country of not just a rich cultural heritage but also some traditions and festivals that make our nation so beautiful. The UNESCO says that“ The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills that is transmitted through it from one generation to the next. The social and economic value of this transmission of knowledge is relevant for minority groups and for mainstream social groups within a State, and is as important for developing States as for developed one”

In the year 2017, Kumbh

Mela became India’ s 12th element in the list of UNESCO’ s Intangible cultural heritage. In a UNESCO general conference in 2003, a convention was adopted to safeguard this list of cultural heritage, traditions and living expressions. To admire and appreciate our cultural heritage more here is a list of all the entries of India in this list.

1. Kutiyattam, Sanskrit Theatre:

Originated more than 2,000 years ago, Kutiyattam represents a synthesis of Sanskrit classicism and reflects the local traditions of Kerala. It has its own codified

theatrical language, netra abhinaya( eye expression) and hasta abhinaya( the language of gestures) that are prominent.

The focus is on portraying the thoughts and feelings of the main character. Actors usually take upto ten to fifteen years of rigorous training in order to become full fledged performers with their famous sophisticated breathing control and subtle muscle shifts of the entire face and body. The male actors hand down to their detailed performance manuals to their trainees. Until recently these secrets remained the exclusive and secret property of a selected family.

N

WWW. WISHESH. NET | FEBRUARY 2018