New Delhi, Dec 10: Deepavali, India’s festival of lights, was on Wednesday inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity during a key meeting of the organisation being held at the Red Fort in Delhi.

This marks the first time India is hosting a session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The 20th session of the panel is underway from December 8 to 13.

Jubilant chants of ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ echoed through the venue as UNESCO formally announced Deepavali’s inclusion in the prestigious list.

India now has 15 elements on the global heritage list, which already includes the Kumbh Mela, Kolkata’s Durga Puja, Gujarat’s Garba dance, yoga, the tradition of Vedic chanting and Ramli

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