NITI Aayog member Bibek Debroy was UNESCO's Special Guest on this occasion at the event 'A classical Language- Beyond Heritage', according to an official statement.
The programme at UNESCO comprised two main segments. The morning segment featured a panel discussion with panelists Debroy and Dr Daniel Negers of the National Institute for Oriental Languages and Civilisations, France bringing out the nuances of the rich and diverse treasures of Sanskrit to an international audience comprising diplomats, UNESCO staff, and others.
The event concluded with an announcement by India, gifting to UNESCO various Sanskrit publications,with an English translation, for its library, the statement said.
The evening segment was hosted jointly by the Permanent Mission of India along with the Missions of Bangladesh, China, Greece, Iran, Indonesia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.
The theme of the evening was "Celebrating Linguistic and Cultural Diversity" which saw a rich mosaic of cultural and artistic presentations from the participating countries, the statement said.