NEW DELHI: Two ancient Indian texts — the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita, dated to the 1st century, and Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra, a 5th-century treatise on performing arts — have been inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
Prime minister Narendra Modi said that it is a proud moment for every Indian across the world.
"The inclusion of the Gita and Natyashastra in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register is a global recognition of our timeless wisdom and rich culture. The Gita and Natyashastra have nurtured civilisation and consciousness for centuries. Their insights continue to inspire the world," Modi tweeted.
While making an announcement in this regard on Friday, Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat termed the development as 'a historic moment for Bharat’s civilisational heritage'.
"The Shrimad Bhagavad Gita & Bharat Muni’s Natyashastra are now inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. This global honour celebrates India’s eternal wisdom & artistic genius.These timeless works are more than literary treasures—they are philosophical and aesthetic foundations that have shaped Bharat’s world view and the way we think, feel, live, and express," he posted on X.
With these two texts, India has now 14 inscriptions on the international register. The Bhagavad Gita, a Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, forms part of the epic poem Mahabharata. Bharatmuni's Natyashastra is a foundational Sanskrit text on Indian dramaturgy and performing arts, considered the fifth Veda. It provides a comprehensive framework for various aspects of drama, including acting, stage design, music, dance, and the theory of rasa (emotional essence).
The Unesco Memory of the World (MoW) Register lists documentary heritage, which has been recommended by its International Advisory Committee and endorsed by the Executive Board.
On Thursday, UNESCO added 74 new documentary heritage collections to its Memory of the World Register, bringing the total number of inscribed collections to 570. The entries - from 72 countries and four international organisations - cover topics such as the scientific revolution, women's contribution to history and major milestones of multilateralism.
The register consists of documentary collections including books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, sound or video recordings, which bear witness to the shared heritage of humanity.
"Documentary heritage is an essential yet fragile element of the memory of the world. This is why UNESCO invests in safeguarding—such as the libraries of Chinguetti in Mauritania or the archives of Amadou Hampâté Bâ in Côte d’Ivoire— shares best practices, and maintains this register that records the broadest threads of human history, " UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said.
According to Unesco press release, among the newly inscribed collections, 14 pertain to scientific documentary heritage. "Ithaf Al-Mahbūb (submitted by Egypt) documents the Arab world’s contributions to astronomy, planetary movement, celestial bodies, and astrological analysis during the first millennium of our era.
The archives of Charles Darwin (United Kingdom), Friedrich Nietzsche (Germany), Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (Germany)—which contain the very first recorded X-ray photographs—and Carlos Chagas (Brazil), a pioneer in disease research, have also been included," it read.
Other additions include collections relate to the memory of slavery, submitted by Angola, Aruba, Cabo Verde, Curaçao, and Mozambique, as well as archives concerning prominent historical women—still largely underrepresented on the register—such as girls' education pioneer Raden Ajeng Kartini (Indonesia and the Netherlands), author Katherine Mansfield (New Zealand), and travel writers Annemarie Schwarzenbach and Ella Maillart (Switzerland).
Established in 1992, the Memory of the World Programme aims to promote the preservation of – and universal access to – the documentary heritage of humanity. Often extremely fragile, this heritage is exposed to risks of deterioration and disasters.In addition to the International Register, UNESCO has supported the creation of four regional registers and National “Memory of the World” Committees in more than 100 countries.