New Delhi, Dec 8: The 20th Session of the Intergovernmental Committee for Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage opened on Monday at the Red Fort, with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in attendance.

UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany and India’s Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Ambassador Vishal V Sharma, were also present.

At the ceremony, Culture Secretary Vivek Aggarwal read out a message from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who commended UNESCO’s work and reaffirmed India’s commitment to partnering with the global community to strengthen cultural safeguarding efforts.

The PM noted that India’s linguistic and artistic diversity, reflected in its many traditions, stories and community practices, remains a source of immense national pride.

In his address, Minister Shekhawat stressed that heritage extends beyond monuments to living traditions such as languages, music, festivals, crafts and oral practices.

He said India’s civilisational belief in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam continues to guide its cultural engagement globally.

India currently has 15 elements on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Globally, 788 elements from 150 countries are inscribed, underscoring the need for stronger safeguarding measures, the minister said.

Shekhawat emphasised that communities are the primary guardians of heritage, highlighting Indian initiatives in craft revival, community archiving, master–apprentice training and livelihood support for artisans.

He urged greater youth participation through education, vocational training, cultural fellowships and digital platforms to sustain these traditions.

Expressing confidence that the 20th session would deepen global cooperation, he welcomed delegates to India and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to protecting intangible cultural heritage.

New Delhi, Dec 08: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday said the time had come for an unbiased evaluation of “Vande Mataram” and asserted that the entire song and the “Anand Math” book were never anti-Islam, but reflected the popular sentiments against the Nawab of Bengal and British imperialism.

Participating in the debate on the ‘150th anniversary of national song Vande Mataram’, Singh also hit out at the Congress, claiming that the politics of appeasement led to the division of India.

“Now is the time for an unbiased evaluation of ‘Vande Mataram’ and its history,” Singh said. “Everyone has heard the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram,’ but many are not familiar with the rest. Most parts of the original version have been forgotten, and those stanzas depict the essence of India.”

He noted that “Vande Mataram” is complete in itself, but there have been attempts to render it incomplete. He called for a return to the song’s glory.

Singh pointed out that “Vande Mataram” was marginalised after Independence and did not receive the recognition it deserved.

Singh said some people found the novel “Anand Math” to be communal, and it was for this reason that “Vande Mataram” was also targeted.

“If we go back to that era, which Anand Math depicts, it becomes clear that the subject matter was not against any religion or sect. At that time, Bengal was suffering from a severe famine, and the Nawab of Bengal was collecting heavy land revenue from the starving population under pressure from the British. Anand Math was written against this injustice,” Singh said.

The defence minister asserted that this makes it clear that “Vande Mataram” and “Anand Math” were never against Islam. “Rather, it was the cry of the common people against the alliance of the Nawab of Bengal and British imperialism of that era,” Singh said.

New Delhi, Dec 08: Gold prices fell by Rs 300 to Rs 1,32,600 per 10 grams in the national capital on Monday due to subdued demand in the local markets, according to the All India Sarafa Association.

The precious metal of 99.9 per cent purity had closed at Rs 1,32,900 per 10 grams on Friday.

However, silver prices jumped by Rs 1,500 to Rs 1,85,000 per kilogram (inclusive of all taxes), marking their second consecutive day of gains. It had settled at Rs 1,83,500 per kg in the previous market session.

Globally, spot gold rose by 0.18 per cent to USD 4,205.26 per ounce.

“Spot gold witnessed heightened volatility and was trading with a gain of around 0.20 per cent at USD 4,210 per ounce ahead of the upcoming US Fed Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) monetary policy meeting due on December 10,” Praveen Singh, Head of Commodities at Mirae Asset ShareKhan, said.

Inderbir Singh Jolly, CEO of PL Wealth Management, said, “Gold continues to reinforce its position as an important asset class amid global market uncertainty.”

He added that with central banks maintaining a steady pace of gold accumulation and investors seeking inflation resilience, the metal remains a key diversifier in both institutional and retail portfolios.

“We’re seeing consistent traction across digital gold investments, reflecting growing recognition of gold’s role as a strategic long-term asset,” Jolly said.

Meanwhile, spot silver was trading marginally higher at USD 58.41 per ounce. On Friday, the white metal had soared by USD 2.2 or 3.84 per cent to touch an all-time high of USD 59.33 per ounce before settling at USD 58.39 per ounce.

Jolly of PL Wealth Management said bullion prices traded in a steady range, supported by softer dollar movements and sustained exchange traded fund (ETF) inflows.

“Domestic demand remained firm as investors rebalanced portfolios toward safe-haven assets. On the retail front, digital gold transactions rose by over 12 per cent.

“Looking ahead, we expect gold to remain supported in the near term, with potential upside driven by ongoing geopolitical risks and expectations of gradual rate cuts in early 2026,” he added.