When Kolkata’s Durga Pujo festival won the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity honour in December 2021, Mumbai-based heritage conservationist, Abha Narain Lambah, who was instrumental in preparing the dossier for the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco Ensemble of buildings at Churchgate, that eventually won the honour in 2018, says it came to her, recurrently, that Ganeshotsav also stands a good chance to do the same. 

Durga pujo was granted the honour last year in recognition of the small economy that settles around Ma Durga in the pandal—the food, saree and handicraft stalls; the cultural artistry involved—be it the creation of the idols, the decoration of the pandals, or the musical and dance performances attached exclusively to it.