India nominates Garba to be inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list

Source: The post is based on the article “India nominates Garba to be inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list” published in AIR on 24th August 2022.

What is the News?

India has nominated the dance form Garba to be inscribed on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list. If approved, it will become the first intangible cultural heritage of Gujarat to be listed by UNESCO.

What is Garba?

Garba is a form of dance which originates from the state of Gujarat in India. Traditionally, it is performed during the nine-day Hindu festival Navarātrī. 

The word garba comes from the Sanskrit word for womb and so implies gestation or pregnancy — life.

Traditionally, the dance is performed around a clay lantern with a light inside, called a Garbha Deep (“womb lamp”). This lantern represents life and the fetus in the womb in particular. The dancers thus honour Durga, the feminine form of divinity.

Garba is performed in a circle reflecting the cycle of life. As the cycle of time revolves from birth, to life, to death and again to rebirth, the only thing that is constant is the Goddess, the idol of whom is placed stationary.