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The tradition of Vedic chanting of India has been declared a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by Unesco for being "the ultimate source of knowledge and one of the world's oldest surviving cultural traditions."
In a meeting held between director-general Koichiro Matsuura and president Jaun Goytisolo at Unesco headquarters in Paris on November 8, Unesco declared, "Although Vedic texts were recorded in writing 15 centuries ago, their principal means of transmission remains oral. The outstanding value lies not only in the rich content of its oral literature but also in the unique and ingenious techniques employed by the Brahmin priests in preserving the texts intact over three and half millennia. The complex recitation technique, requiring rigorous training from childhood, is based on a specific pronunciation of each letter and specific speech combinations to ensure that the sound of each word remains unchanged.
Mr Matsuura added: "The Vedic heritage comprise a multitude of text and interpretations collected in four Vedas. The Rig Veda is an anthology of sacred hymns; musical arrangements of hymns from the Rig Veda and other sources are found in the Sama Veda; the Yajur Veda abounds in prayers and sacrificial formulas used by priests; and the Atharna Veda, attributed to the legendary sage, Atharvan, includes hymns, charms and spells. The Veda also provide an extraordinary historical panorama of Hinduism and offer insight into the early development of several fundamental artistic and scientific notions, such as the concept of zero. Although the Vedas continue to play an important role in contemporary Indian life, this ancient oral tradition now faces many difficulties owing to current economic conditions and modernisation. Experts claims that four noted schools of Vedic recitation may be in imminent danger of disappearing."
Twenty-seven other cultural expressions
were also proclaimed as masterpieces including a thousand-year-old Chinese
musical idiom that is mastered by a mere 50 people, the know-how of itinerant
doctors in South America who are familiar with the properties of almost
1,000 plant species and a communication system among different language
communities in Vanuatu using finger drawings in sand. Other master-pieces
proclaimed were Azerbaijani Mugham (Azerbaijan), the Carnival of Binche
(Belgium), the Oral and Graphic Expressions of the Wajapi (Brazil), the
Oral traditions of the Aka Pygmies of Central Africa (Central Africa Republic),
The Royal Ballet of Cambodia (Cambodia), Music of the Oriente Brotherhood
(Cuba), the Al-Sirah al-Hilaliyya Epic (Egypt), The Kihnu Cultural Space
(Estonia), Wayang Puppet Theatre (Indonesia), the Maroon Heritage of Moore
Town (Jamaica), Kyrgyz Epic Tellers (Kyrgyzstan), Woodcrafting Knowledge
of the Zafimaniry (Madagascar), the Traditional Music of Morin Khuur (Mongolia),
The Pansori Epic Chant (Republic of Korea), The Arts of Public Story-tellers
(Turkey), Vietnamese Court Music and Songs of Sanaa (Yemen).
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