Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday expressed pride in the inclusion of Shrimad Bhagavadgita and Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra in the UNESCO World Smriti Register. According to a release released by UNESCO on Thursday, a total of 74 new entries were made in the UNESCO World Smriti Register, leading to the total number of recorded collections to 570.
On the social media platform X, Prime Minister Modi said that the inclusion of both scriptures is the global recognition of “eternal knowledge and rich culture”.
Prime Minister Modi said, “This is a moment of pride for every Indian worldwide. The inclusion of Gita and Natyashastra in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register is the global belief of our timeless knowledge and rich culture. The Gita and Natyashastra have nurtured civilization and consciousness for centuries. Their insight has inspired the world.”
Meanwhile, after the announcement of 74 new entries by UNESCO, Director General of UNESCO Audre Azole said, “Documentary heritage is an essential but delicate element of the world’s memory. That is why UNESCO in Mauritania invests in Chinguetania’s Libraries or Cotte de Ivar, inserts in the conservation of Amadau Hampate Ba, and invests in conservation, and Maintains this register that records the widespread threads of human history. “
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat also said that this announcement is a “historic moment” for the country’s civilization heritage. According to Shekhawat, with the inclusion of Gita and Natyashastra, there have been a total of 14 inscriptions in the UNESCO register.
The Union Culture and Tourism Minister said, “A historic moment for the civilian heritage of India! Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra are now inscribed in the World Smriti Register of UNESCO. This global honor celebrates India’s eternal knowledge and artistic talent. The approach and our way of thinking, feeling, living and expressing, with this, now 14 records of our country have joined this international register. “
According to UNESCO, 14 of the newly-untouched collections relate to scientific documentary heritage, in addition to collections related to slavery memory and records related to major historical women.
Many collections have a documentation of important moments of international cooperation, including Geneva Convention (1864–1949) in Switzerland and their protocol (1977–2005), Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations), and Windhoka Declaration of 1991 in Namibia, which is a global reference to press independence.