In a bid to boost its age-old tradition, Varanasi has been chosen as a part of the ‘Cities of Music’ under UNESCO’s cultural division, the Creative Cities Network.
“It has been chosen in the music category under UNESCO’s “field of excellence” plan. The fields of excellence are classified into categories of literature, film, music, craft and folk art, design, media arts and gastronomy,” said Ramgopal Mohley, mayor of Varanasi.
“We had done preparatory work for six months before sending a proposal in April in this connection to the UNESCO. The approval of the proposal in music category clearly signifies the rich musical heritage of this ancient temple town,” Mohley said.
“The inclusion in the network has also paved a way for representing the cultural heritage of the holy city on the world stage through the UNESCO project. It will not only provide a fillip to tourism but will also give a chance to local artists and musicians to visit countries that are a part of this network,” Mohley added.
UNESCO had added Music as its fifth cultural category in 2006 under the Creative Cities Network.
The Italian city of Bologna and Spain’s Seville were the first to join the list. As a part of this list, all music cities are expected to promote musical creation and activities along with organizing concerts for the same, both at the local level as well at the international level.