Srinagar is a UNESCO Creative City. What does that mean?

This November, Srinagar became one of the cities worldwide to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). The UCCN is an exclusive list of 295 cities from across 90 countries that are celebrated for culture and creativity, and that includes other cities form our country too. Today we will learn about what this network is all about.   

Which other cities are part of the UCCN? 
The Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO is a body that manages recommendations form our country. They had recommended Srinagar and Gwalior this year, but only Srinagar got chosen. The city had applied once earlier too. 5 Indian cities already in the list are Mumbai (for film), Hyderabad (for gastronomy), Chennai (for music),Varanasi (also for music) and Jaipur (for crafts and folk art). Srinagar, has been chosen as a city that harbours a long standing, highly creative ecology for various crafts.  

What are Srinagar’s claims to its fame in crafts?  
All of central Kashmir is known for its varied craft traditions. Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam are the main districts of Kashmir traditionally attached with the handicrafts industry, including products such as textiles, carpets and rugs, crewel embroidery, silverware, woodwork and papier-mâché. In fact, after tourism, handicraft is the second major source of livelihood for many Kashmiris.  There is also a huge demand for Kashmiri handcrafted products abroad, and Kashmiri handcrafted products are very popular in India too.   

How did Srinagar bag the UCCN inclusion this year? 
The successful pitch that made it to the UCCN enlistment this time was made by a team from the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, with help from INTACH Kashmir. The dossier expressed hopes that the UCCN tag would give global recognition to Srinagar, help in getting international funding, facilitate tie-ups with craft universities, and open up pitching for crafts innovations.  

What would the craftsmen gain from the UCCN enlistment? 
Local craftsmen and traders had suffered huge losses due to the pandemic, and they are hoping the UCCN tag would help them make up. Not only had shops been closed, exporting was tough, fairs across the country had stopped, and exhibitions were also not being organised. Now, the local administration has decided to create a database of craftsmen and plan to help them tap global markets.