GoUNESCO

Last updated
GoUNESCO
Formation2012 (2012)
FounderAjay Reddy
Founded at Hyderabad, India
Type Private
Headquarters Bangalore, India
Location
  • Worldwide
Official language
English
Website www.gounesco.com

GoUNESCO [1] is an umbrella of initiatives that help promote awareness and provide tools for laypersons to engage with heritage. GoUNESCO was created by Ajay Reddy in 2012. It is supported by UNESCO, New Delhi. [2]

Contents

History

GoUNESCO [3] began when Ajay Reddy saw a tweet posted by Pallavi Savant of a photo from a World Heritage Site and asked how many people had been to the heritage sites whose photographs were printed at the back of the entry pass. Ajay Reddy realized that he himself was not aware of half the places. He took it upon himself as a challenge and in 2012, he visited 9 out of the then 28 [4] World Heritage Sites in India. [5]

Travel challenges

Participants can choose to participate in different country challenges such as the GoUNESCO India Challenge, GoUNESCO Germany Challenge, GoUNESCO South Africa Challenge. Everyone automatically is enrolled into the lifetime challenges - GoUNESCO Culture Challenge and the GoUNESCO Epic Challenge. A country-specific challenge such as The India Challenge mandates participants to visit all the World Heritage Sites located in India within one calendar year. The first person who visits all the world heritage sites, or the person with the most points at the end of the year, wins the challenge.

There are 316 intangible cultural heritage elements listed in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and The Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Every participant entering the Cultural Challenge has to experience cultural heritage elements and capture proofs in the form of pictures, videos and personal notes. Every proof of experiencing an intangible cultural heritage element can earn them points and, in turn enable them to learn about the unique aspects of cultures from across the world. The Epic Challenge, like The Culture Challenge is a lifetime challenge – meaning all the proofs from a participant's travel any time will be eligible even if a participant takes a lifetime to visit all the 1,031 Heritage Sites in the world. Jai Bharathi was the winner of the first ever travel challenge. [6] [7]

Go Heritage Runs

Go Heritage Runs began as an offshoot of GoUNESCO in 2014. These fun runs have been organized at famous World Heritage Sites such as Hampi, [8] and Ooty, [9] Udaipur and lesser known heritage sites such as Bidar, [10] Warangal [11] and Badami.

Student program

In January 2014, GoUNESCO started a student program in which students are chosen from throughout the world through an open application process. The 6 month program is held in two sessions every year - January through June and July through December. Once chosen, the students are assigned fun tasks that help them explore and at the same time, build awareness of heritage around them. [12]

'Make Heritage Fun' campaigns

In June 2015, GoUNESCO started #makeheritagefun [13] as a distributed series of events and distributed social media campaigns occurring simultaneously at cities around the world to draw attention to heritage. This initiative by GoUNESCO is yet another way for laypersons to engage with heritage. Experiences from across the world will be collated and amplified through social media using the hashtag #makeheritagefun.

Awards and recognitions

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bidar</span> City in North Karnataka, India

Bidar (/biːd̪ər/) is a city in the north-eastern part of Karnataka state in India. It is the headquarters of Bidar district, which borders Maharashtra and Telangana. It is a rapidly urbanising city in the wider Bidar Metropolitan area. The city is well known for its many sites of architectural, historical and religious importance. Bidar City have a population of more than 2 lakh and are likely to get upgraded to municipal corporation in the next 5 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SS Music</span> Television channel

SS Music, or Southern Spice Music, was a satellite television channel based in Chennai, India. The multilingual music channel broadcast film songs from Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada film industry..Now Relaunched As An Ultimate Entertainment Channel on Digital Platforms. The music channel also aired mainstream international music from US, UK, Europe regions. The company was started by Fortune Media PVT LTD as a channel to announce lottery results. In 2004 the company was approached by MTV India for a takeover, to be branded as MTV South, but the deal fell through.

<i>Chhau</i> dance Indian semi classical martial dance originating in East India

Chhau, also spelled Chhou, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the Purulia Chhau of West Bengal, the Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand and the Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cultural heritage</span> Physical artifact or intangible attribute of a society inherited from past generations

Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramappa Temple</span> 13th century Kakatiya Hindu temple in Telangana

Ramappa Temple, also known as the Rudreshwara temple, is a Kakatiya style Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, located in Palampet village, Mulugu district, Telangana, India. It is 15 km (9.3 mi) from Mulugu, 66 km (41 mi) from Warangal, 209 km (130 mi) from Hyderabad. An inscription in the temple says it was constructed in the year 1213 CE by Recharla Rudra Reddy—a general of Kakatiya ruler Ganapati Deva. Located in the vicinity of Ramappa Lake, the Ramappa Temple complex which consist of three temples was constructed between 1212 and 1234, designed and architect by Ramappa—after whom the temple complex is named. Marco Polo, during his visit to the Kakatiya empire, supposedly called the temple "the brightest star in the galaxy of temples". In July 2021, Ramappa Temple was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rashtrapati Nilayam</span> Official retreat in Telangana, India

Rashtrapati Nilayam formerly known as Residency House is the official winter retreat of the President of India located in Hyderabad, Telangana. Rashtrapati Nilayam was officially opened to the public in March 2023, allowing visitors to explore its vast grounds, thematic gardens, and architectural marvels. The President stays here for at least two weeks during their winter sojourn visit and conducts official business. It is also used as a guest house for visiting dignitaries. It is located in Bolaram in Secunderabad, a neighbourhood of Hyderabad.

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) is an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), a family of institutions created by Aga Khan IV with distinct but complementary mandates to improve the welfare and prospects of people in the developing world, particularly in Asia and Africa. It focuses on the revitalization of communities in the Muslim world—physical, social, cultural, and economic. The AKTC was founded in 1988 and is registered in Geneva, Switzerland, as a private non-denominational philanthropic foundation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raghaveshwara Bharathi</span> 36th peetadipathi of ramachandrapura mutt

Sri Sri Raghaveshwara Bharathi (originally, Harish Sharma), is an Indian religious guru and the present maṭhadhis (Guru) of Shri Ramachandrapura Mutt, Hosanagara in Shimoga district in the Indian state of Karnataka. He is the 36th maṭhadhis of Shri Ramachandrapura Math. He took sannyasa from Jagadguru Sri Ragavendra Bharati Mahaswamiji the previous maṭhadhis, in April 1994. He is a follower of Advaita Vedanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy</span> Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, India

Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy, also known mononymously as Jagan, is an Indian politician and a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Pulivendula Assembly constituency in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative assembly. He previously served as the 17th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He is the president of the Indian political party, YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). He is also the son of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. V. Krishna Reddy</span> Indian businessman

Gunapati Venkata Krishna Reddy is a philanthropist and entrepreneur. GVK Reddy is the founder and chairman of GVK Group, a business conglomerate with a predominant focus on infrastructure development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Hyderabad</span> Overview of the culture of Hyderabad (India)

The culture of Hyderabad, also known as Hyderabadi Tehzeeb or Dakhini Tehzeeb, is the traditional cultural lifestyle of the Hyderabadi Muslims, and characterizes distinct linguistic and cultural traditions of North and South India, which meet and mingle in the city and erstwhile kingdom. This blending was the result of the geographic location of the region and the variety of historical dynasties that ruled the city across different periods—its inception by the Qutub Shahi dynasty in 1591 AD, the occupation by the Mughal Empire and its decline, and the patronage under the Asaf Jahi dynasty.

Go Heritage Runs is a series of fun runs organized across India at various heritage locations. It was founded by GoUNESCO founder Ajay Reddy in 2014. The goal of these runs is to promote awareness of heritage locations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Hyderabad</span>

A distinct Indo-Islamic architecture style with local contribution is reflected in the historical buildings of Hyderabad, making it the first and "Best Heritage City of India" as of March 2012. The city houses many famous historical sites constructed during Qutb Shahi and Asaf Jahi period, including various mosques and palaces.

<i>Sarileru Neekevvaru</i> 2020 film directed by Anil Ravipudi

Sarileru Neekevvaru is a 2020 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written & directed by Anil Ravipudi and produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations, G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment and AK Entertainments. The film stars Mahesh Babu, Rashmika Mandanna, Vijayashanti, Prakash Raj and Rajendra Prasad. The music was composed by Devi Sri Prasad, while R. Rathnavelu and Tammiraju handled the cinematography and editing respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage Walk Trivandrum</span>

Heritage Walk Trivandrum (HWT) is a voluntary, non-profit initiative in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India to educate people on the history and heritage of Thiruvananthapuram city and district.

Qutb Shahi architecture is the distinct style of Indo-Islamic architecture developed during the reign of the Qutb Shahi dynasty, also known as the Golconda Sultanate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buon Natale</span> Annual Christmas procession in Thrissur, Kerala, India

Buon Natale is the cultural festival organized by the Thrissur Archdiocese and Thrissur Citizenry in association with Christmas celebration. It is held at the premises of Thrissur city in Kerala every year from 2013. Buon Natale procession entered the Guinness World Records in 2014 for having the maximum number of people dressed up as Santa Claus. This event was started to raise charitable funds along with the celebrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ajay Desai</span> Indian wildlife conservationist (1957–2020)

Ajay Adrushyappa Desai, also known as, Elephant Man, was an Indian conservationist and Field Biologist, researcher, specializing in behavior of wild elephants with a focus on wildlife conflicts with human settlement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haft Gumbaz</span> Group of tombs in Gulbarga, Karnataka, India

The Haft Gumbaz, also spelt Haft Gumbad are a group of tombs of the Bahmani dynasty situated in Kalaburagi, in the Indian state of Karnataka. Built during the 14th and 15th centuries, the tombs are examples of early Indo-Islamic architecture. There are seven tombs in total, with four being tombs of the rulers of the Bahmani dynasty. The tomb complex is a monument of national importance, maintained by the Archeological Survey of India. The tomb complex is part of the "Monuments and Forts of the Deccan Sultanate", which is an ensemble of various structures added to the tentative list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaddam Padmaja Reddy</span> Indian Kuchipudi exponent (born 1967)

Gaddam Padmaja Reddy is an Indian Kuchipudi exponent and music teacher. She performs ballets on mythological themes and contemporary social issues. She choreographed Kakatiyam, a Kuchipudi visual dance form. She was conferred with Kala Ratna in 2006, India's highest art award–Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 2015 and Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in the field of art for 2022.

References

  1. "Incredible, historic India". The Alternative. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  2. "Official Support for GoUNESCO by Unesco New Delhi".
  3. Prasad, Usha. "Making heritage travel in India fun". The Alternative. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  4. "Treasure Hunters".
  5. "CyArk Engages GoUNESCO Campus Ambassadors".
  6. "Hyderabad girl jai bharathi wins GO-Unesco challenge". Archived from the original on August 13, 2014.
  7. "Go UNESCO challenge winner - Jai Bharti Interview - Youtube". YouTube .
  8. "Run for heritage". The Hindu. 2014-07-14. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  9. "'Go Heritage Run' attracts young and old alike". The Hindu. 2015-06-01. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  10. "Heritage run in Bidar". The Hindu. 2014-10-05. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  11. "A go-to event for heritage lovers". The Hindu. 2015-03-08. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2015-10-17.
  12. "Incredible, historic India". The Hindu. 10 January 2013.
  13. "Make Heritage Fun".
  14. "GoUNESCO – Reisen zu Welterbestätten".
  15. "Celebrating World Heritage Day".
  16. "EU Heritage Tour".