PATNA, Aug. 14 -- With the Central government writing a letter to the secretary of Sangeet Natak Akademi for the nomination of Chhath festival for UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) list, there is a renewed hope of this age-old tradition getting global recognition. The Centre's move is significant as it had happened within a week of UNESCO Director Tim Curtis' visit to Bihar Museum Biennale and his keynote address on UNESCO's 'Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage' and the importance of preserving living heritage. "He delivered the keynote, focused on "Interrogating the Global South: Shared Histories". His speech stressed UNESCO's 'Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage' and the importance of preserving living heritage, which is shared across borders," said Bihar museum director general Anjani Kumar Singh. Singh said that the Bihar government had also sent a proposal for inclusion of Chhath in the ICH list after detailed research conducted through the museum and documentation. "We brought the significance and uniqueness of Chhath to the notice of the UNESCO Director, who underlined the role of communities as custodians and transmitters of this heritage in his address," he added. Singh said that Chhath is a living tradition and it has already spread beyond Bihar and India. "It is now celebrated in several countries. We had sent a detailed proposal to the Bihar government's department of art and culture after thorough documentation a year ago and from there it was sent to the culture ministry. We are hopeful of it finding a place in the ICH list, as there is no parallel to it in the world," he added. Chhath puja is a four-day festival with rigorous rituals dedicated to the Sun God and which is believed to have originated in Bihar and eastern UP, and gradually traversed to various parts of the country and even abroad. It is a unique festival in which 'arghya' (offering water with prayer) is offered to the setting and rising Sun. The Ministry of Culture last week wrote a letter to the secretary of Sangeet Natak Akademi, requesting him to initiate the process for nomination Chhath festival on August 8. It had also communicated to the Akademi in this regard on July 24 following a proposal submitted by Chhathi Maiya Foundation (Delhi) Chairman Sandeep Kumar Dubey, a native of Gopalganj in Bihar and a lawyer. Dubey, who runs the foundation to champion the cause of nature, told HT that he had met culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat with his proposal. Chhath is all about nature worship and its uniqueness lies in the fact that it is the only festival dedicated to a visible deity, the source of energy to the entire world, the Sun. It is important as it is directly linked to the health of rivers and ponds, which are facing challenge due to human behaviour," he added. Dubey said that it would require the efforts of the Bihar government, the Centre and also 7-8 countries to jointly fulfil all the requirements laid down in the procedure....