India, Sept. 17 -- The ministry of culture has initiated the process to nominate Chhath Mahaparva for inclusion in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)'s representative list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, a recognition granted to living traditions and cultural practices sustained by communities around the world.

Chaired by culture secretary Vivek Aggarwal, officials from the ministry of external affairs, Sangeet Natak Akademi, and Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) met senior diplomatic representatives from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Suriname, and the Netherlands on Tuesday to seek cooperation from these countries for a multinational nomination to be submitte...